I Hate Everything About You
by Ceres Vesta
Summary: COMPLETE. Hush my friends and let them hold each other, help them make the moment last forever. In the end, it shall be Draco and Hermione, for I am the Sorting Hat, and what I say will be. "You're filthy," he drawled. "But you're beautiful."
1. Unspoken Rivalry

**Chapter I**

**~Unspoken Rivalry~**

He was looking at her again. 

Over at the other side of the Great Hall, his eyes laid rest to the girl seated between a pathetic excuse for a wizard and a Scarhead who was everyone's favorite. She tossed her head in laughter when Weasley said something, and Potter's shoulders shook with glee. The Golden Trio. The Grand Group. The Perfect Threesome. Draco Malfoy's mouth curved into a smirk. A mudblood. Nothing but a filthy mudblood. The same mudblood who made him rank only second best in the last six years of his life in Hogwarts, the same mudblood who dared touch his skin and slap him right across the face. The same mudblood, who, until now, was making his life a living hell. _Why do you keep looking at her then_, he asked himself.

But his question was abandoned and left unanswered. It wouldn't be too long before his gaze would be returned. He rested his elbows on the surface of the Slytherin table and kept staring at the mudblood, subconsciously memorizing every part of her. 

***

After the laughter died out in the Gryffindor table, Hermione Granger exhaled deeply and looked down on her food. Her friends were still laughing about something. Her fingers wrapped around the fork and played with the mashed potatoes when it hit her. Someone was trying to burn into her soul, and she didn't need a clue who it was. Slowly, her eyes rolled to the Slytherin table where sure enough, Malfoy was looking straight back at her, brandish his infamous smirk. 

It had been going on for quite sometime now. The silent little competition that they would share between themselves. When he realized that there was nothing anymore to make fun of the little mudblood, Malfoy had decided to keep his mouth shut and increased his taunts on her two friends instead. What he and Granger had was an unspoken rivalry. It was a fight to see who was the weak, and who was the powerful. They would stare into each other's eyes during their break on the school grounds, sometimes even during in class, but most of the time they would do it in the Great Hall. 

He was gazing into her chocolate brown eyes that sparkled with knowledge while his gray orbs glistened with secrets. Hermione didn't want to give up and prolonged the stare. Draco's eyebrow arched as he leaned forward with more interest when Ron's voice suddenly broke it off between them.

"Hey, Hermione, you think you can come to our Quidditch practice tonight?"

Hermione blinked as she came crashing back to her part of the world, the Gryffindor world. The whole contest lasted three minutes. A new record; impressive. 

"Well, I don't think I can," said Hermione. "You realize I still haven't done anything in Professor Binns' two-feet long assignment which is due next month! I don't wanna be left behind in our lessons."

Over at her left side, Harry reached out and squeezed her hand. "Oh come on, Hermione, what are you talking about? You're already advanced as it is! Besides, tonight's a Friday, and you haven't spent a lot of time with me and Ron anymore. We were beginning to think Malfoy was stealing you from us," he added with a grin.

"No!" Hermione's head sharply turned around to look at him. "What makes you think so?" she asked nervously.

"Relax Hermione, he was only kidding!" Ron exclaimed. "But he's right, you spend more time with him than you do with us. What with all those Head Boy and Head Girl duties, plus let's not forget you guys have been sharing the same dormitory for the past, two months already."

Harry nodded in agreement. Hermione looked from one boy to the other. "We might share a dormitory, but during all those times I was with him, I wasn't exactly _with_ him." And she was telling the truth. They shared the same common room, but they would only sit down on their desks and study, never looking at each other. Never. Sometimes Hermione would wake up and find that Malfoy had already left, and had already gone to sleep when she would come back at late at night. Hermione would have given anything to get rid of that deafening silence that loomed in the Head Boy/Head Girl Dormitory. "I'd rather dance naked in the North Pole with the Santa's little elves before I spend an afternoon with _him_."

Ron laughed. "Point taken, Hermione." He cast a glance at his watch and jumped. "Well then, I guess we'd better get going. We're already late for the practice you called for, Mr. Gryffindor Quidditch Captain," he said to Harry.

"Right, right." Harry gulped down his rootbeer float to the last drop and swung his leg over the bench of the table. When he was out, he bent over to Hermione and kissed her forehead. "We've really missed you, you know," he whispered in her ear, and quickly left the Great Hall with Ron.

Hermione sat frozen, unable to understand the meaning of the kiss. Was he trying to tell me something? She bit her lip as her brows met in deep thought. 

***

Draco was surprised as well. But it was more than that. Revulsion. A growing abhorrence to the Pothead who got everything he wanted. He didn't know where all his emotions came from nor the fact that his utter dislike for Potter could possible worsen. _She's confused_, he thought to himself. _Now she's going to bite her lip_... He smirked momentarily as his prediction came true. _Now look at me, mudblood_. 

True enough, Hermione lifted her head from the battles that was going on inside her head and found Malfoy staring back at her. She knew for a fact that he had seen everything, and her eyes turned into a glare as his lips curved knowingly at her. _Why can't you just leave me alone_, Hermione thought wearily. Malfoy slowly rose to his feet and decided to leave the Great Hall, eyes fixed at her before he reached the great doors and was out of sight. 

Hermione's eyes followed him all the way to the door. Don't even think about following him, she thought.

Too late. Her feet had already carried her swiftly outside the Great Hall. Too swiftly in fact that she almost tripped on a lose stone floor and cursed under her breath.

When she left, Lavender Brown leaned over to her friend, Parvati Patil and whispered in her ear. "Did you see?"

Parvati nodded. "Yeah. They've been looking at each other again."

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**Well that was it! A new story before I continue my epic Temple of the Dragon. What do you think of it? Did I pass, or did I suck? Please review!**


	2. Filthy Beautiful

**Hi guys!! Yay! I passed! Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews! I know nothing much happened in the previous chapter, but I was gathering my thoughts and finally thought of a plot! Hope you guys like where the story's going…Don't forget to review… hehehe… _TO: Layla Malfoy (beautiful name!) purpledaisey (well, they haven't yet _****_J), Epiphany (cool! But I wanted a nice ending… hehe), svetlaella (I love them too. Exciting, sad, wonderful…), Irol (yup, they do!), Crazy-Peanut-Chick (love ur name! I know I didn't put much on the 1st chap, hehe), *Angel* (Will do!) Serpent du Feu (I love you!!!) Nami1 (I missd you!), Apollonia2 (I'll try my best!), nieves (so far so good too!) THANKS SO MUCH!!!!_**

****

**Chapter2**

**~Filthy Beautiful~**

He knew she would follow him. She was too predictable. She never liked it when she didn't have a clue to what was going on, much more to herself, and she would always set out for the answers. He had walked a few feet further after he exited the Great Hall and leaned back on the cold stone wall, waiting for some sign for Granger to show up.

  


"Damn it!" A voice cursed under her breath. Malfoy smirked. He didn't need to look back. Immediately he started to walk.

***

_Bastard. Who does he think he is? That self-centered, egotistical, prick. _

  


Hermione was trying to keep up with the long strides that Malfoy took. He didn't even glance once at her direction, and this greatly irritated Hermione. I bet he's used to this at his home. Treating everyone like a slave he's expecting to follow his every order and move. _So why don't you just turn around and leave him hanging there_, her conscience asked her. Hermione shook her head.

"No. I wanna know what's going on," she answered to herself. 

_I thought so_, her conscience answered back.

All she could see were shadows cast by the torches on the walls, and Malfoy's figure right in front of her. The back of his blonde hair was blowing softly at the lightest gush of wind, and his robes were flowing because of the brisk walk. Hermione tried hard not to look at his delicious piece of ass. There was a good six feet of distance between the two, and Hermione didn't dare make it less. He turned around on a corner, and Hermione did the same two seconds later, and stepped on a very familiar hallway. _Wait a sec._

He stopped right in front of a huge portrait of two lovers, holding hands underneath a huge tree. "Password?" The gentleman on the portrait said after giving the lady a little peck on the nose.

Malfoy scowled. "_Impermissus Adamo_." Latin came out smoothly from his lips and the door to the Head Boy/Head Girl Dormitory opened. Without looking back, he stepped inside. 

_Son of a Bitch_, she thought.

***

Hermione's feet came in contact with the floor of an all too familiar room. A mixture of green and silver on one side and red and gold on the other was the theme of the room. The fireplace was crackling softly, greeting the both of them as they entered. Hermione's desk on the left was filled with books stacked neatly on top of each other while Malfoy's books were arranged beside each other. Expensive looking quills stood on their stands. Above the fireplace, a portrait of a lion and a serpent were playing together in a field. The door closed behind Hermione as soon as she stepped inside.

Malfoy collapsed on one of the couches, rested his arm over the top of it and leaned back casually. He sneered at Hermione and opened his mouth. 

"Why are you following me?"

Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief. _Why am I following you? Why am I following you? Is this some kind of joke? You, you made me do it! As a matter of fact, I don't know what's gotten into my head for following an incredibly annoying git like you! Damn it, I'm going to my room and study. This is pointless._

But Hermione's feet never left the ground and she never said any of those things. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at Malfoy. "Do you realize that's the first time you've spoken to me since we became head boy and head girl?"

Draco snorted. His eyes never left Hermione. Her once unruly hair morphed into a mass of long brown curls reaching down to her little waist. Her eyes glowed in the firelight, and her flawless face glowered at him. _It's pathetic Potter and Weasley never noticed this splendor right in front of me, _he thought.

She shifted her weight on her left foot and continued looking at him, searching his eyes for answers. His pale face, his pale hair, his pale gray eyes… Hermione looked at his delicate lips and watched it curve into a smirk, practically memorizing where it went straight and began to curl. She briefly closed her eyes and opened them again. Malfoy had not moved an inch.

She slowly shook her head. "Why are we doing this?" Hermione said wearily. She remained standing in front of the doorway, and he, seated on the couch. 

"Guess I just can't take my eyes off you."

Her heart skipped a beat. She wasn't expecting anything like that. "Why?"

He exhaled deeply. "I don't know."

"Don't play games with me, Malfoy."

"I'm not lying."

"STOP IT!" Hermione didn't realize that she had grabbed her wand from her pocket and aimed it right across Malfoy's heart. She was growing confused more and more and she couldn't decipher what was going on. "For two months since we came back from the summer you haven't uttered a single word of discrimination to me! I would have given anything to hear the word 'mudblood' come out from you again! And now you're telling me that… that you can't take your eyes off me?! What the hell's wrong with you? Explain yourself to me before I wipe that stupid grin off your face and blast you into oblivion!"

Malfoy remained calm, his eyes never leaving Hermione. Lazily seated on the couch, the firelights played tricks as shadows cast on his face, making Hermione shiver. "Put your wand away. Have you been washing your hand after writing your homework? Let it rest; your hand's shaking like crazy."

Hermione's nostrils flared and hid the wand back inside her robes. "Stupid ferret," she mumbled.

Malfoy slowly rose to his feet and glared at her. "Don't worry, I still hate you."

"Good to know," she retorted. "And I, you."

He smirked. "_Good to know_." He was closing the distance between them and for what seemed like an agonizing eternity, he finally lowered the distance to a hand's length. His head was bent down to look properly into her eyes and she tilted her head up to look well into his. He was blocking the light coming from the fireplace so there was a soft glow outlining Malfoy's form. His towering figure caused Hermione to grow weak in the knees but she didn't want to give up. 

"You know, you should consider yourself lucky, being able to get this close to a pureblood like me. _Especially_ a Malfoy like me," he added, with a drawl in his voice. Some of his hair had come loose from the gel and was now cascading down at her. It was so long Hermione could feel it on her forehead. She thought of a thousand and one responses to what he said to her but she decided to keep her mouth shut. 

"Who do you think you are, trying to mess up my life?" He whispered softly to her that sent shivers up her spine. His finger traced the outline of her face, starting with her forehead, down to her chin, and to her nose, and down her lips. "You are _nothing_ but a _mudblood_ to me. I shouldn't let you affect me in anyway."

His cold touch made her quiver. "I haven't done anything to you, Malfoy," Hermione gritted her teeth.

"Ah, but you have," he murmured at her. "And you're only too stupid to realize it. The way you walk with your nose in the air like you know everything, how your hair simply flows…" he ran his hand through her soft locks. "Magnificently… Who do you think you are, trying to get me under your spell?"

Hermione looked at him in bewilderment. _What was he talking about?_ It was as if he was in a trance. Both of his hands had suddenly grabbed her face and she winced slightly in pain, but she kept looking at his gray eyes that have now become two dark orbs.

"You are _nothing_. You are _worthless_. You are _nothing to me."_ His face was blank and it showed no emotions, but Hermione could clearly see in his eyes that he was fighting a battle. _ Is he trying to convince himself_, she thought to herself.

_What am I doing_? Malfoy was grasping her tender face in her hands and was aware of the pain he was inflicting on her. But he didn't mind it. What he cared about was the sudden outpour of his emotions. He hadn't meant for Granger to hear all the things he had said, but he couldn't contain himself anymore. He was struggling all these new feelings for the mudblood to himself, trying to come up with the decision to deny or accept, and he couldn't keep everything inside his head.  

Hermione was looking straight at him. Her neck had begun to strain, but she ignored the pain. She began to feel that Malfoy's hold on her had gradually become gentler, and soon, he was rubbing her cheeks with both of his thumbs. His eyes had begun turn back to beautiful silver orbs. Slowly, his face came closer and closer to her until she couldn't focus anymore. That's when she closed her eyes, and felt his soft lips on her own. 

A kiss. He had given her a kiss, and he didn't know if he was going to regret it later. It didn't go any deeper, because all he wanted since he felt these lies in his heart was a taste of her crimson lips. Now that he had gotten what he wished for, he didn't know what would happen next. 

It ended before she knew what was happening. He released her, and ran his thumb once more over her lips. She was surprised. Shocked. She felt relieved.

"You're _filthy_." He gazed into her eyes one more time. "But you're beautiful."

Then Draco Malfoy turned around, went into his room, and slammed the door shut, leaving a perplexed Hermione staring after him.

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**A/N: Well? What did you think? Please review and tell me everything!! Please please please please….**

**Impermissus Adamo means Forbidden Love. Oh and um, notice Draco never says Hermione's name. Not even "Granger"… just a point to observe… Next chappie!!! QUIDDITCH!!! YAY!!!**

**^|Ceres Vesta|^**


	3. Quidditch

**~Chapter Three~**

**Quidditch**

He never spoke to her again after that nor did they stare at each other anymore. Two weeks have passed and Hermione and Malfoy pretended as if nothing had ever happened between them. It wasn't long, however, when they realized they had to be speaking to each other whenever they needed to have meetings with the prefects or the faculty, but other than that, no words were uttered. 

Hermione soon found herself more interested to the boy who did nothing but make her life miserable in Hogwarts. She found herself staring at the Slytherin Prince when he wasn't looking, observing his style in walking inside a classroom, surveying how his fingers would run through his hair. Hermione had memorized the drawl in his voice by heart whenever he and Harry and Ron would have a row in just about everything there is to fight about. She stayed out of the fights of course, and only came in when she needed to hold her friends down before things could get worse.

She never told what had happened to Harry and Ron. She didn't need them to act over protective and start telling her to get out of Malfoy's way. Besides, what they didn't know won't hurt them. But the other reason why she didn't want to tell her friends was because she couldn't comprehend it herself. Why did he kiss me? Why did it feel so good? Why do I keep thinking about him every night? This was the first time she ever let questions in her mind go unanswered.

But it was best to stay that way.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and Gryffindors had a game with Slytherin. Although she wanted her house to match, she couldn't help hoping that Malfoy could catch the Golden Snitch. She realized of course, that she was being disloyal to her house and dismissed the thought immediately. She was wearing a soft pink sweater and a simple white tank top and jeans, showing off her curvaceous body. She didn't want to be late for the match so she didn't put any make-up on and simply put her hair up to a ponytail, with some strands falling to frame her face. She was making her way to the top bench of the Quidditch Bleachers, when she saw Lavender and Parvati waving at her, motioning her to sit with them. Hermione waved back and made her way through the crowd to the two pretty Gryffindors.

When she finally reached them, she flopped beside the girls and breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew! I thought I'd never reach you guys!"

Lavender smiled. "The whole school's probably watching this match, right Parvati?"

Parvati nodded, her black hair bouncing in rhythm. "I'm not surprised though," she said. "Every girl in the school came to see either Harry or Draco," "Who have grown deliciously handsome, mind you," Lavender interrupted. "-- or even Ron Weasley, but games between Slytherin and Gryffindor are usually packed with a few fights and other excitements, so I'm guessing  a mixture of those reasons would do this crowd justice."

Hermione laughed along with them. Well, it was true, but she was careful not to let that little complement get into her friends' heads. After Lee Jordan graduated last year, Dean Thomas took the throne on the microphone and did a good job commentating so far. "CLAP YOUR HANDS FOR GRYFFINDOR AND THE TEAM CAPTAIN, HARRRRRY POTTER !" His voice bellowed though the speakers and the crowd cheered and applauded in appreciation as the Gryffindor players rose in the air. Hermione seemed to cheer the loudest as all of her friends were part of the team; Harry as the Gryffindor Captain and Seeker, Ron as Keeper and Ginny as one of the Chasers, who just joined in last year. Hermione couldn't be more proud of them. "GIVE IT UP FOR SLYTHERIN AND THEIR CAPTAIN, DRRRRRAACO MALFOY!" Girls from all of the houses shrieked at the mention of the Hogwarts Heartthrob, but all players were given the same appreciation nonetheless. Malfoy raised his arms in the air for his fans while Harry and Ron were simply rolling their eyes at him. 

The seats were perfect, Hermione could see Madame Hooch clearly on the field on her broom, and robes of red and green around her. Hermione's stomach churned again. Something not good was going to happen, because she was probably as nervous as the players. 

Madame Hooch said something to the players before blowing her whistle, signaling the start of the game. Immediately the players bolted into the sky, taking their position, Harry high up in the air, Ginny in the center of the field, and Ron, at the other end, guarding the Gryffindor Quidditch Goals. Hermione's eyes roamed the field, looking for a certain Slytherin with striking platinum blonde hair. Sure enough, Malfoy was there, exactly at the opposite from Harry, eyes darting around in search for the snitch. She smiled at the sight of him flying through the air like he belonged to the clouds.

"AND THE GAME'S OFF TO A START!"

Hermione drew a deep breath as Dean Thomas' voice filled the air. _This is going to be interesting_, she thought. Forgetting the premonition she had, she leaned further out, immediately entranced by the game. 

***

_So the Dark Lord my Father had spoken highly of is now dead. Killed by a mere boy. Father always said that the Dark Lord should be respected, but I was raised to despise half-bloods and mudbloods. So how could he bring me to bow down to someone with filthy blood? Father and the rest of the Death Eaters should be burning in hell… Maybe they are. What pride would they bring to us purebloods when all they ever do is dirty themselves with their blood? It's a fuckin' paradox_. 

His head began to throb as his thoughts shifted to something else. A young woman, smiling, laughing with her friends. Her soft brown curls, trailing down her back. Her tantalizing eyes, her lips. Oh her soft lips that Draco Malfoy would give everything he owned for just one more taste of it.

_What are you talking about Malfoy_? He shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. _Merlin, help me. Why am I feeling this way? This is her doing, Malfoy, not yours. This isn't your fault_. His eyes fluttered open. _The Yule Ball. That's when it all started. Damn you Malfoy, you shouldn't be feeling any of this. For two years I've been trying to deny it, but… it's only getting worse. I need her_. Malfoy slightly laughed at the sudden sign of desperation in his thoughts. He was being pathetic, he was sure of that, and Father would not approve of it. He shook his head. _How many times do I have to tell myself that he's gone? Father is gone. Along with all the lies he had taught me_. The image of his father looking at him changed into Hermione's face, looking deep into his eyes two months before when they had first kissed. _Father used to tell me that touching a mudblood was like kissing a dementor. It would make me feel dead and deprived of all the happiness in the world. But you're wrong father. It only felt right, and for once in my life, I felt alive._

"Malfoy!" Crabbe's voice made Draco crash back to the present. He shook his head so the images of Hermione disappeared in his head. He needed to concentrate if he wanted to win the House Cup. "What?" He replied crudely at Crabbe.

"They just called Gryffindor. We're gonna be called next." Crabbe said in his deep, burly voice.

"Of course we're gonna be called next. Do you see any other teams playing?" said Malfoy exasperatedly. 

Crabbe grunted and said something like "sorry." 

"…SLYTHERIN AND THEIR CAPTAIN, DRRRACO MALFOY!" 

Draco kicked back from the grass to get him to accelerate in the air and leave all his thoughts on the ground while the rest of his team followed suit, drowning their ears with the cheers and yells of the crowd.

***

"AND FLINT'S GOT THE QUAFFLE IN HIS HANDS, OOOH! BARELY AVOIDED THAT BLUDGER SENT BY MARTIN HASLEY OF GRYFFINDOR! TOO BAD! OUCH!" Professor McGonagall yanked Dean's ear. "Sorry! AND HE'S GOING STRAIGHT FOR RON WEASLEY… COME ON RON, DO US PROUD… HE'S ALMOST THERE, FEIGNING LEFT, FEIGNING RIGHT… AND YES! GRYFFINDOR SCORE! THAT'S OUR KING, THAT RON WEASLEY!"

The crowd who were supporting Gryffindor screamed with glee, while groans and a lot of foul words erupted from the Slytherin side of the Field. Ron threw the quaffle back for the game to continue and was caught by his sister Ginny who immediately sped off to the other side of field, tearing through the wind like an eagle.

"RON PASSES THE QUAFFLE TO HIS SISTER AND WHOA! LOOK AT THE SPEED ON THAT BABE! OUCH!" Professor Sprout from his other side had yanked Dean's ear this time. "Geez woman! I mean Professor. AND THERE SHE GOES, BOLTING STRAIGHT TO THE SLYTHERIN GOAL, DETERMINED TO SCORE QUICK. PUCEY'S GUARDING THE CENTER HOOP, IS SHE GOING TO SCORE? AND A QUICK PASS TO KAESHA SPINNET, WAITING AT THE LEFT HOOP AND SHE SCORES! GRYFFINDOR SCORE! YEAH! DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING! NICE PLAY! TAKE THAT, YOU FOUL, CHEATING, PIECE OF—YEOUCH!" All Professors on the Faculty box had tried to yank something from Dean to keep him from saying horrible things to the Slytherin Team.

"AND IT'S 60-50 WITH SLYHTERIN STILL IN THE LEAD, BUT GRYFFINDOR GAINING ON THEM. QUAFFLE IS BEING PASSED BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN PUNCHNIK AND BAGERBATH OF SLYTHERIN…"

***

Dean Thomas's voice seemed so far away. Draco Malfoy's eyes were searching the vast quidditch field while Harry flew closer to him. He ignored Potter and continued to hunt for the snitch, bringing his broom higher in the air.

"You know you're not gonna get her, Malfoy!" Harry yelled through the loud voice of Dean. He kept seeking for the snitch too, but he wasn't looking at his mortal enemy.

"You're wrong Potter, I'm gonna get the snitch right under your nose!" Draco yelled back, hovering slightly above him.

Harry made a clicking sound with his tongue. "I'm not talking about the Snitch, Malfoy! I'm talking about Hermione!"

That's when Draco turned sharply to face Harry and raised his eyebrow. "What makes you think I want her?"

"Stop playing games with me Malfoy." Harry gritted his teeth. "I know those silly staring games you've had with my Hermione—"

"_You're_ Hermione?" Malfoy laughed crudely at this. "You've had her for six years and you never did anything about it!"

"AND SLYTHERIN SCO—HANG ON. WHAT'S GOING ON UP THERE?"

The crowd grew silent and as they looked high above the Quidditch Field. Even the Slytherins didn't scream with joy as Puchnik made another goal. All eyes were on Harry and Draco as they were facing each other on their brooms, as if they were going to kill. Over at the benches, Hermione, Lavender and Parvati had clasped their hands over their mouth. "What's happening?" Lavender asked. Hermione shook her head. "I don't know!" Her heart was beating furiously in her chest, she thought she was about to explode. Her hand grasped on the short barricade that was there to prevent the spectators from falling fifty feet to the ground. She leaned further out to properly see what the hell was going on.

But the sudden silence of the crowd had grown ignored by the two Seekers. Harry had been planning to confront Malfoy for days now, but he never knew it would happen now. Before the game started he looked for Hermione to see if she was looking at him but she was looking at Malfoy instead. She had triggered for this to happen, and it was now or never.

"She is nothing to me Potter, nothing!" Draco shouted at him, convincing him and himself. But he knew better than that.

"You bastard! You won't get her! I won't let you!" 

"Oh yeah? Well, what if I do get her? What next, wonder boy?" Malfoy challenged him.

"Then I'm going to fuckin ki—" Harry stopped short just as the Golden Snitched zoomed past them and rested in the air, just in front of Gryffindor Bleachers. The crowd simultaneously gasped in shock but it was Hermione who broke the silence. 

"GET IT, HARRY!" She screamed at her friend.

"I believe she called for me, Malfoy." Harry had time to give his foe a victorious smirk before whizzing past him, in hot pursuit for the snitch.

"Yeah, but she was looking at _me_, Potter," Draco drawled and chased after Harry, closing the distance between them. 

Dean Thomas cleared his throat. "AND BOTH SEEKERS CHASE AFTER THE GOLDEN SNITCH, BUT WHO WILL PREVAIL? JUST A BIT MORE POTTER! DRACO MALFOY IS CLOSE BEHIND, GAINING SPEED…"

Hermione Granger was leaning so far out, half her body was already out of range from the bleachers. She was praying to the heavens for Harry to catch the snitch but she didn't hear her silent pleading; "Come on, Draco… Come on…"

Goyle meanwhile had something else in plan. He knew with that little brain of his that the Golden Snitch was gonna stay there, and so he hit the Bludger to the Gryffindor Post with all his might, silently praying that it would knock Harry Potter off his broom. But it was then that the snitch decided to change course and zoomed high above the quidditch field, leaving a trail of faint gold dust in the air from the Gryffindor Post. Harry gripped his broom tightly and pulled it to go up, and Malfoy did the same, He was a few feet away… Just a little bit more…

Both Seekers were already a hundred feet in the air when Dean's voice filled the Quidditch field. 

"HARRY GETS THE SNITCH! GRYFFIN-- WAIT A MINUTE! WHAT'S THAT BLUDGER DOING?" 

Harry had just caught the Snitch in his hands when Draco stopped in midair and craned his neck to see what the Bludger really was doing. He had a bad feeling about it.

The crowd screamed. "OH MY GOD! IT HIT HERMIONE GRANGER!" Draco didn't need telling twice. He brought his broom down and zoomed in the sky, free falling in the air. Hermione's motionless form was falling to the ground and if he didn't catch her soon, well, he didn't want to think about it. "Hermione!" Harry yelled behind him. There was no point in yelling. All Draco could think about was the mudblood. He gripped his broom tightly and lay flat on the broom going faster and faster flying, falling to the ground. She was getting closer. He could smell her hair from where he was and…

"YES! HARRY CAUGHT HERMIONE JUST IN… WAIT… THAT'S NOT HARRY…"

Draco had caught Hermione in his arms six feet above the ground, before either of them could have gotten seriously hurt. He pushed the broom up towards the air, just as the sun was about to set. Draco smirked. It couldn't have been a more perfect timing. She was cradled in his arms, resting her head on Draco's lean shoulders, trembling. "Harry?" She mumbled, half-conscious from the pain the Bludger had given her on her shoulder. 

"No, it's me," Draco said, whispering in her ear. He was flying towards Potter who still had the snitch in his right hand.

"I thought so," Hermione smiled painfully. "What are you doing?"

Draco leaned down and kissed her softly on the nose. "Saving you?" He said before Hermione fell unconscious in his arms. It was more of a question since he didn't know himself. He reached Potter and carried her to him. Malfoy shook his head and sneered at him." Nice way of getting _your_ Hermione, Potter," he snickered and looked down on his fingers. "Congratulations, Potter, you got yourself the snitch." He turned around and called for his team. "Slytherin, let's go!" He yelled to them before descending down to the ground. 

Over at the Gryffindor Post, where people began to go down the stairs, Lavender and Parvati stayed behind. "Did you see?" Lavender asked her friend.

Parvati nodded. "Yeah. He just risked his life for her."

~^*~^*~^*~^~*~^*~^*~^~*~^*^~

A/N: Aurgh!!! Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed! They mean a lot to me! Quick shout outs to **SugaAngel86** (thanks a lot!), **Campy Capybera** (love your words of wisdom), _nieves_ (wish I was her too!), **milenium03** (thanks for the compliment!), **Hermione182**(I love that song too!), _Layla Malfoy_ (makes me wanna use your name!), **twodirtysluts** (thanks soooo much!), **MP** (I shall follow thy command!), **Ella** (thank you!!), **Danielle** (aww, really?), **Serpent du Feu** (you're back! thanks!), **Krysten** (thanks so much!), **Vicious Fishish** (hehe, cute name! Thanks!), **Icy Spicy Micey** (thanks for the advice. I'll try not to…), **foreveryours89** (I'll keep that in mind!), ***Angel*** (thanks girl!)

Whew!

This is my first time to write a Quidditch scene, coz I'm not very good in describing what the characters might be doing in the air… tell me what you think please!!! Take care! 

**^|Ceres Vesta|^**


	4. FortyOne Questions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter… I don't own the series, the characters, except the ones you guys are not familiar with… Oh, but I do own a hat which looks so much like the Hogwarts sorting hat, the latest of my addiction of harry potter ensembles! Please read A/N below. ****J**** have fun!**

**~Chapter Four~**

**~Forty-One Questions~**

He had been talking to her again, but only when they were inside their dormitory. Casual conversations like "Could I borrow your book in Potions for a while, Malfoy? Neville's got mine and I forgot to get it from him" or "You go ahead, I'll tidy the common room for a while. Crabbe and Goyle came to visit me and made this whole mess." A week had passed since the day he had saved her life, and it grew different for the both of them. After Hermione had recovered in the hospital wing, Harry and Ron refused to let her on her own anywhere in the Hogwarts castle, but students often whispered to each other when Hermione would walk alone down the hall from the library. Draco meanwhile, would simply threaten them by taking a hundred points off their houses if their voices would drop to a murmur everytime he's around. At least the Slytherins were being civil to him, not mentioning that fateful Quidditch Day in their conversations, although Draco was aware they were talking behind his back. It would not be too long before they would take it into action though.

It was dinnertime at the Great Hall. While Draco was being ignored either because of hatred or because of fear, Hermione over at the Gryffindor table was being pampered to death.

"Hermione, sweetheart, are you sure you won't have some more pumpkin pie?" Lavender patted her head.

"No, she's had enough, give her some pumpkin juice instead," Ginny insisted, pushing a glass down Hermione's place.

"Neville, you're not totally blocking her view from the Slytherin table!" Parvati crossed her arms. "You don't want that git Malfoy looking at her again!"

Hermione was on the verge of throwing the table to her friends (only if she had the strength) or hexing each of them with a Bat-Bogey Hex. "WILL YOU GUYS STOP IT!"

All her friends froze in mid-movement, looking like one of the statues at the Ministry of Magic. "I'M FINE ALLRIGHT? I'M FINE!"

Harry looked at the lot who were circling themselves at Hermione. "It's okay, you guys, I think she needs to be alone with us for a while," Ron made them leave with his hands "Shoo, shoo! You guys need to eat too, you know." 

One by one, they started to leave, each of them shrugging and finally taking a bite out of their Chinese dumplings.

When they all left, Hermione gave her friends a grateful smile. "Thanks, you guys," she said. "I couldn't breathe in there!"

Harry and Ron looked at each other. Ron was nudging Harry while he was nudging him back. It looked like they were trying to say something. "What is it?" Hermione asked, eyeing them carefully.

Ron pushed Harry with a much harder force which meant that he was the one doing the telling. He cleared his throat. "Well, Hermione, we were just wondering whether you and Malfoy have been going out…"

Hermione's eyes widened. "What? What are you talking about?"

Ron cleared his throat too. "Well, we've been noticing this thing you've been doing with Malfoy—"

"What do you mean this thing?" Hermione shook her head violently in confusion. Some of the strands fell on her face.

"We mean you and Malfoy, all googely eyed with each other! It's been going on for a while, I bet," Harry explained to her.

Hermione's breathing began to go beyond normal. What was she to say? She didn't have the courage to tell her friends. What would she tell them? Um, guys, for some weird, indefinable reason, I'm starting to like Malfoy, you know, our mortal enemy? The Ferret Boy? Yeah, so I was wondering. Could we all hang-out and go to the Three Broomsticks for lunch? She opened her mouth and let her defense mechanism do the rest.

"So?" she blurted out.

"'So? That's all you can say?" Ron threw his hands in the air "Hermione, it's Malfoy we're talking about here! Not Seamus, not Neville, not Viktor fuckin' Krum! 

It's Malfoy! M-A-L-F—"

"I know how to spell it, alright?" Hermione shot back. "But so what if we're just looking at each other? It's not like I'm professing my undying love for him!"

"Just tell us the truth, Hermione!" Harry begged, being calm and rational. "Is there something going on between you and Malfoy?"

"I _am_ telling the truth!" Hermione told him. _No, you're not dearie_, her conscience told her. "There's nothing between me and Malfoy!" She screamed a little louder, trying to drown Ms. Hermione Granger's conscience in her head. 

"But he saved your life—" he persisted.

"So what Harry?" Hermione glared at him. "Are you the only one that's entitled to save me? I believe you ought to give Malfoy some gratitude because he just save one of your best friends' neck!" 

By this time, everyone was pretending to mind their own business, although they leaned towards the Gryffindor table straining to hear more. Malfoy had gone out in-between the shout out between Harry and Hermione.

"You saved Ginny's life once! Did you hear me complain about it at all?" Hermione asked her friend, who was beginning to turn red.

"No! But Malfoy's a Slytherin, he might be luring you into a trap," Harry answered truthfully.

"And you're just being paranoid, Harry," Hermione exhaled deeply as Harry's expression turned softer. "Besides, it's not like I'm the only one doing a suspicious act. You were having a bit of a row with Malfoy yourself, that day…"

Harry shook his head. "It was nothing Hermione. It's none of your business," he added quickly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and put her hands on her hips. "Ditto. What I do with my life from now on, is also none of your business, Harry Potter." She turned to look at Ron, who was looking down at her, giving her a soft smile that seemed to say "I'm sorry." "Ron, I'm going upstairs to my room. Tell your friend I'll speak to him when he's got a clear mind. Good night." And with that, she turned her heels and left the Great Hall.

Ron patted his friend on the shoulder. "Nice going, mate," he said to him.

"You said it," Harry agreed, before burying his face in his hands.

***

  
Hermione's head was throbbing painfully as she walked down the corridor leading to the Head Room. She stopped in front of the portrait and automatically said "_Impermissus Adamo_" before she could see what the two lovers were doing this time. Her mind was raging at her for having that fight with Harry. She didn't know why she did that but immediately planned to apologize to him for being such a bitch. Just as she reached the common room, she lazily threw off her school robes on the floor and took off the barrette that was holding her hair in a ponytail, letting her soft brown curls flow beautifully. She was dressed in her school uniform and unbuttoned the upper part of her blouse when Malfoy's voice suddenly caught her off guard.

"Stop, before I see you naked," Draco's silky voice rang in her ear. 

Hermione opened her eyes wide. She was too stressed to notice that the Head Boy was already there, dressed in his school uniform too, and the sleeves were rolled above the elbow. He was leaning back on his chair with his hands in his pockets, and Hermione could only stare at the Greek God in front of him. 

She shook her head. "Sorry, I- What are you doing here?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "I live here, with you, remember?"

"Oh!" Hermione shook her head once more. "Sorry. I'm just a bit…" She grabbed her forehead.

"…Tired?" Draco offered. Hermione nodded. 

"Here then," Draco said as he grabbed two white mugs from his table and walked over to Hermione. "I went down the Kitchen to get me some coffee when I decided to get you one too. That Dobby insisted to bring you some cream puffs, but I told him I couldn't hold them anymore." He motioned for them to sit on the couch and they both sat down. 

Hermione took a sip from her coffee and sighed, as she let the warm liquid flow through her body. "It's good. Thanks," she smiled at Draco.

"Don't mention it," Draco replied. It was more of an order.

For a while they were silently drinking their coffee, eyes darting around the room, neither daring to look at each other. It was then that Hermione broke the silence. "So, you ate your dinner here?"

"Yeah," Draco lied, remembering that Longbottom was blocking her view from the table.

"I guess you didn't hear the fight…" Hermione asked, staring at a point just above Draco's head.

Malfoy acted confused. "What fight?" He lied again.

She shook her head. "Never mind." Hermione thought that it was best that he didn't know anything about it. And then they were silent once more. 

It was amazing to think that Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were drinking coffee side by side on the same couch as head boy and head girl. Had Hermione heard about this a few year back, she would only laugh at this. A few years back… A lot of things have happened a few years back to herself, and not to mention to Malfoy, too. She lifted her head up from her cup to glance at Malfoy only to find that he was staring at her again. As if reading each other's minds, both opened their mouth and spoke at the same time. 

"Look I'm sorry about your father—" Hermione began.

"I'm sorry about your father—" Draco started.

They looked at each other in surprise. "I don't wanna talk about it," They said in unison. 

Draco laughed softly. "Okay then, let's not." Hermione smiled at him. She didn't want to be reminded of the past. In response, she took a lock of her hair and played with the ends for a while, twirling it around her fingers and releasing it, before doing the same thing all over again. "So why were you always staring at me?" She asked him, her eyes not leaving her locks.

Draco looked at her, the answer right in front of him. "I told you. I just couldn't stop myself anymore."

"Why did you let me follow you the night that we kissed?"

He smirked. "Coz I knew you wanted some answers."

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Because you're so damn beautiful." A faint smile escaped from Hermione's lips, and Draco could see she was trying to suppress it.

"Why didn't you speak to me after that?"

"Because I was confused."

"Why did you save my life then?"

"Because I didn't want to see your dirty blood on the Quidditch field. I wouldn't have played on it again." Hermione sharply faced Draco. His face was emotionless. She returned to look at her hair. 

"Are you being honest, Malfoy?"

"Yes."

"Is there another reason?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Because… Because I didn't want you dead."

"Why?"

"Because there would be no one I could make fun of anymore, no one to remind how a filthy mudblood she's supposed to be."

"Why?" Hermione repeated, not letting his words affect her. 

"Because I couldn't imagine life without you."

Hermione looked up to him. His face had gone closer than before the interrogation started, and it was still getting closer.

"Do you realize how totally unpredictable you are?" she glared at him.

He glared back. "Yes." They were now close enough to feel each other's breath warming their faces, close enough to feel their hearts beating against each other, close enough to make the biggest mistake of their lives. 

Hermione inhaled nervously. "Are you going to kiss me now?"

Draco closed his eyes, cherishing this feeling and softly shook his head. "Not yet."

Her mind was screaming at her, telling her to get away from him before things could get worse, but her body objected. She raised her hand to run her fingers through Draco's silky hair and whispered. "How about now?"

And Draco Malfoy caught her lips into his. She tasted so much like strawberries or raspberries; he wanted nothing more than to hold her close. He parted her lips with his tongue and she complied, gaining access to her sweet velvet tongue. This was wrong, this was bad, but all Hermione could do was to hold him tight. All logic and reason were abandoned the moment she opened her lips. His hand rested on the back of her neck and gently pushed her towards him, deepening the kiss even more, and Hermione let out a soft moan. 

Just hearing that made Draco promise never to let her go.

He released her, staring into her dark chocolate eyes, while his hands worked their way down to her blouse. He never let go of her eyes, he was just staring at them just as he had been doing for the longest time. Soon as he realized he was on the last button, he gazed at Hermione, asking permission to go further. But she didn't say anything. So he gently slid it off her arms, and let it fall to the floor. Draco's jaw dropped as he saw the body in front of her. She was wearing a lacy blue bra, and her nipples were clearly on fire. She was so beautiful. 

He was staring at her, mesmerized at his view he didn't even notice that Hermione was untucking his shirt. As soon as buttons came undone, she slipped it from his muscular arms and pulled his undershirt over his head. They were both topless, and each was marveling at the sight that greeted them. Draco's chest was lean and muscular, and Hermione couldn't help but stare at him. 

Draco lifted her chip up to her and spoke. "Would you like to drool, or would you like to kiss?" 

Hermione smiled as she wrapped her arms around Draco and held him tight. "Kiss, please," she said. 

"Gladly," Draco replied, and gave Hermione a passionate kiss, pouring out all his emotions to her, all the confusions and frustrations and sensations she made him feel. His other hand slowly crept up Hermione's back, tracing the line of her spine, and Hermione moaned at this. She was rubbing herself against Draco, drawing more heat for the both of them. He growled at the friction she was causing and easily unhooked the clasp of her bra. Once she was completely topless, he laid her underneath him, her hair mixing beautifully with the maroon color of the couch. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, her eyes, her nose, everything on her face and her neck, sucking the flesh connecting to the collarbone. Hermione moaned once more and ran her long fingernails gently at Draco's back. 

Draco drew an intake of breath. He went down to her chest, where her nipples were impatiently waiting for his tongue. "Draco, please…" Suddenly Draco sucked hard on her nipple, flicking it with his tongue while he was massaging and tugging the other breast. Hermione arched back in pleasure and stopped herself from screaming. He moved to the other one so it wouldn't feel neglected, unfortunately sucking it harder. Hermione could feel his teeth making a mark on it, but she didn't care. All she did was throw her head back and would have screamed, had it not been for Draco who kissed her once more, drowning it out. He sucked on her tongue while Hermione was rubbing her sex to his, in synchronized rhythm. 

He felt so hot, he couldn't take it anymore. He fought control for his mind, it was driving him crazy. _This is going to fast…stop before you hurt her_, he thought to himself. But his body continued to disobey his will. His lips kept giving her butterfly kisses everywhere. 

_No, this is wrong_, Hermione's conscience said at the back of her mind. _You're not even sure yet, darling. Just let go…_ After what seemed like an eternity, she regretfully brought her hands up Draco's chest and pulled away from him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, surprised and breathless. 

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing," she reassured him. "Everything's just… It's all too…" She was lost for words. Every part of her body knew that this was right, but this was Malfoy… 

"I know what you mean," Draco silenced her by tracing the outline of her face. "I can't believe this myself."

"You're a Slytherin, Malfoy," Hermione said, looking into his eyes. "We used to hate each other…"

"A lion and a serpent don't usually mingle together," Draco replied with a sad smile. "I'm a fuckin' pureblood…"

"And I'm just a filthy mudblood…" 

Draco put a finger on her lips. "No one has the right to call you a mudblood except me. _Not even you_." 

Hermione looked at him. He was telling the truth, but it didn't sound so much as a threat to her. She looked into his eyes, the only pair of eyes that would matter to her. She spoke before she could even control herself. "I don't want to fall…"

"Too bad," Draco sneered, his silver orbs glistening miserably. "I've already fallen."

Hermione shut her eyes as Draco's words pierced through her skin. She didn't know what to think anymore. She opened them and pushed a lock of his silver hair and stared at him. "You know you've got the softest hair imaginable…"

He smiled down at her. 'Come on, I'll take you to your bed," he started to get back on his feet.

"No," Hermione pleaded, grabbing his arm. "Can we just stay like this for a while?"

Draco looked at those chocolate brown orbs, begging him to stay. How many nights has Draco stayed awake, imagine her to look at him that way. He didn't need to answer. He rested his head on Hermione's chest and she wrapped her arms around him, like lovers did after making love, although they never did it. They stayed like that for over half an hour, never moving a muscle, just cherishing the moment they have, because neither was sure this would last. It was only then that Draco realized he might be crushing Hermione with his weight. "Am I heavy?" he asked, full of concern. 

Hermione smiled down at him. "You're perfect."

And he held her closer. Eventually, he carried Hermione to bed, laying her down on her soft gold and scarlet covers. She was still topless, and Draco fought the urge to make sweet love to her. Instead, he took off the rest of her clothes, lay it down on the floor, and dressed her up in her nightgown, since she was too tired to do it herself. She lay drowsily on the plush materials and smiled at him. "This feels like a dream, Draco," she said softly, with her eyes closed.

He froze. _She spoke my name_, he thought to himself. He hesitated before finally giving her a soft peck on the forehead. "Go to sleep… Her—_Granger_."

He couldn't bring himself to call her name. Not just yet.

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*^~

**A/N**: Whew! Oh man, I just can't believe how nice you guys are in reviewing my work… I really need those lovely words of wisdom and humor that give me ideas for my stories… You just don't know how much you guys mean to me! I laugh and sometimes grab my heart and say "aaaaaww!" whenever I read your reviews. Now see how much difference it makes when you just hit the review button? Honestly, I'm still shocked… I love you guys! Really!

By the way, I already finished writing the **sixth (yes 6th) chapter**! I personally loved it and really want to upload it now, but I have to be a good author and keep the readers in suspense… unless of course you wanna give me an Avada Kedavra for that… 

**Next chapter: A truth potion, green slime, and Snape-pee-pooh!**

**^|Ceres Vesta|^**


	5. Intraserum

Hey guys!! How have you all been? Sigh*** yeah, it went too fast, didn't it? It came to me when I hit the upload button so I couldn't do anything about it…. Anyway, another point about the last chappie… Harry **was** chasing after Hermione, but Draco was closer, right? Besides, fear of losing Hermione was slowing him down… Parvati's hair was dark brown/black! Thanks burgundyred! **LAST**! I forgot to tell you in the first chapter that I was inspired by a song of the same title to write this fic. It's called **I Hate Everything About You, by 3days grace**. I suggest you go and download it **now**… mwahahaha!!!!!!!! Review puhleez! Read the A/N afterwards if you like…

**~Chapter Five~**

**~Intraserum~**

She awoke that morning with the most wonderful feeling in the world. Her body was securely covered underneath the bed sheets and a big smile had decided to show on her face. She stayed lying on her bed for a while, letting last night's events linger in her brain. 

Malfoy's soft lips pressing against her own, his smooth fingers stroking her skin… How he had carried her with complete ease to her room… At which point Hermione sighed deeply. He was the owner of the eyes she's been obsessing about, he was the boy who had saved her life… not to mention the boy who kept teasing her friends, the boy who kept bringing Hagrid down, the boy who kept telling her that she was a filthy, fuckin' mudblood…

Her body suddenly sprang in a sitting position on her bed as she was suddenly hit by a jolt of realization.

_What have I done?_

*           *           *

As usual for the past weeks, the Slytherin table was busily chatting away with their conversations, although careful this time with their choice of words. They have been talking about the certain events that had happened between the Slytherin Prince and the Gryffindor Princess, although they have used clever codes so as not to be obvious. Crabbe and Goyle were seated together, eating their way through the tall stack of pancakes that were in front of them. They were quiet, with occasional grunts, but they kept looking at their ringleader who was seated across from them.

Draco Malfoy was seated with his arms crossed on the table and his head resting on it, his eyes closed. He had been thinking about last night, and nothing else. He knew he had gone too far but all his other emotions slithered back to him, fighting against each other. _A mudblood! You let yourself touch that disgusting filth! I went too far. It should have been just one kiss… You're a disgrace, Draco Malfoy… Maybe I should apologize… No! Malfoys never apol—_

But his thoughts came into an abrupt stop as he sensed that she was coming. Slowly, he lifted his head from his arms, faced the doors of the Great Hall, and opened an eye. 

There she was. 

Some of his hair had fallen into his eyes, but he could see her form making it's way down to the Gryffindor table. He shook his head slightly upwards to let his hair fall back, so he could get a better view, in the space between Crabbe and Goyle. Once his eyes could see clearly, he noticed that she was forcing a smile at Potter that didn't reach her eyes. _Good_, Draco thought selfishly. _At least I'm not the only one_.

*           *           *

"Harry, please," Hermione began, her voice a little shaky. "Look. About last night, I didn't mean any—"

"No, Hermione, it's okay," Harry said, pulling her robes gently so she could sit beside him. "I shouldn't have pressed on like that…"

She nodded her head distractedly, as she sat down. Her mind was still on Draco. She couldn't understand herself for doing such a _thing_ with him, on the same night she had a fight with Harry, her best friend. "I mean it… I never _ever_ like it when we fight…" She faced Ron who was sitting across them and gave a smile. "It's just silly. Promise me, we'll never have a fight again…"

"Hermione, it's not that easy," Ron said, after taking a gulp from his juice. He found the sight of Harry comforting Hermione's trembling shoulders a bit intriguing. 

Hermione sighed heavily. "Oh, I know Ron… it's just that…" _You were kissing him, enjoying his touches, moaning under him_… Hermione gave a little whimper and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

*Over that the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy flinched.

Ron leaned forward and patted Hermione's hand comfortingly. "Hey! Don't be like that… Come on… Our Hermione never cries…"

Harry kept stroking her soft hair and patted her back. "Did something happen between you and Malfoy last night?" he asked gently.

A soft laughter escaped from her lips as Ron gave Harry a look. "No, no… it's not about him, trust me," she didn't realize of course that she didn't answer Harry's question. "Look. Let's just promise that we'll try never to fight again, no matter what happens, alright?" She looked at Harry and Ron and pleaded in her eyes. 

Harry contemplated. But it wasn't long before he placed his hand on top of Ron's, which was still comforting Hermione. "I promise," he finally said. 

Hermione smiled at him and placed her other hand on top of Harry's and squeezed it. "Thanks," she said.

Ron, too, put his other hand on top. "I swear it!" he said happily.

"Oh, Ron, don't swear," Hermione told him.

"Okay, I promise." 

She beamed at both of his friends. She felt like the luckiest girl alive, to have friends like Harry and Ron.

"Come on, let's go to Potions early," Harry said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. "That way Snape won't trouble himself taking points off Gryffindor again."

His two friends laughed and nodded and made their way out of the Great Hall, arms clasped to one another. Nothing could ever break them apart.

At the far end of the Gryffindor Table, Lavender Brown looked up to her friend. "Did you see?"

Parvati Patil looked down and took a bite from her English muffin. "Give me a break, Lavender. I'm eating!"

*           *           *

"Five points from Potter and Weasley for coming to class early and forgetting their quills and parchment—"

"But Professor!" Hermione protested.

"And five more points from you, Ms. Granger if you keep that know-it-all trap of yours open."

Pansy Parkinson snorted loudly at this. 

Professor Snape continued talking to the class as if nothing had happened. The Gryffindors had Potions with Slytherin, and it was colder more than ever down at the dungeons. Hermione and Draco had barely spoken much less looked to each other, because they were in deep thought at the previous events. Draco as usual, was seated at the front of the class with his two friends beside him, while the Golden Trio was at the other side of the room. 

"As I was saying, there are many Truth Potions being concocted by lots of wizards and witches, each one having a more powerful effect than the other. Now, can anyone tell me which serum is the most powerful one of all?" Snape walked over to Millicent Bulstrode's table, ignoring Hermione's hand which had shot up in the air. "Ms. Bulstrode? Any idea?"

Millicent's eyes darted around the room, as if searching for the answer. She looked up at Snape and slowly shook her head. Hermione's hand stretched further in the air. "Very well, then," Snape sighed and walked back to the board. With a swish of his hand, the word _Veritaserum_ appeared before the class. "Can you read to the class the answer to the question I was asking you, Ms. Bulstrode?" 

Millicent's stupid face broke into a grin. "The most powerful truth serum, Professor Snape, sir, is _Veritaserum_."

"Very good," Snape nodded. "Ten points to Slytherin," he said as Millicent gave an evil wink at Pansy Parkinson. Hermione groaned and cursed under her breath. _Evil, greasy bastard_, she thought. 

"But it's a very advance magic, and I'm afraid only Aurors and professionals are able to do that. What we are going to do instead is the _Intraserum_. It's another type of truth potion wherein the drinker is forced to tell the truth when asked. While the _Veritaserum_ is highly advanced by giving the drinker a pain-free automatic confession, the _Intraserum_ forces the wizard to reveal his darkest secrets, and tortures your body if you refuse." Snape eyed his students carefully. "Now you must follow the directions at the board—" lines of words replaced the huge _Veritaserum_ "—and do the potion within an hour. I have already assigned you off with your partners from the other house to prevent you from cheating. I expect little noise from this. Neville Longbottom and Vincent Crabbe… Seamus Finnegan and Pansy Parkinson…"

Hermione closed her eyes and cross her fingers. _No, please, not him… Not him…_

"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy…" Hermione's hopes came crashing down.

"Damn," Ron cursed under his breath. "What rotten luck. Don't worry. We're just here, Hermione."

Harry gave her a wink. "Yeah. Just scream if you need us."

Hermione laughed nervously. "Thanks guys," she said, and made her way to the Slytherin, lazily standing up to make room for her.

*           *           *

While Professor Snape had was reading the latest edition of _Vogue_ without the watchful eyes of his students, the Gryffindors and the Slytherins were all complaining and cursing in their works, since the _Intraserum_ was a very difficult potion to concoct. Dean and Millicent's cauldron was emitting green puffs of smoke in the air while a foul stench was coming from Harry and Goyle's Potion.

"I'll get the daisy roots from Snape. You just stir the potion," Malfoy told Hermione after adding the shrivelfigs to the cauldron. She only nodded in response and so Malfoy took off. He needed to get away from her as soon as possible. He couldn't stand being that close to Hermione and not hold her in his arms. Her scent was beginning to make him dizzy and the battle that was going on in his mind was driving him mad.

He carefully weighed the daisy roots on the scale and as soon as the bundle was as heavy as three sickles, he made his way back to Hermione. She was carefully stirring the cauldron, glancing once in a while at her watch to make sure that three minutes passed before letting the potion simmer for two minutes and adding the daisy roots next. Draco saw her bite her lip and absent-mindedly tuck a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Watch it--!" Neville Longbottom blurted out as Malfoy, in an unlikely ungraceful manner, accidentally bumped himself into him. The moment Neville spun around and saw who it was, his eyes grew wide and gave a short whine.

"Sorry," Malfoy said distractedly. Neville was frightened even more, since he had never heard the word sorry from Draco. He continued to think for the rest of the period that Malfoy was plotting against him. 

_Get a grip, Malfoy. It's not like you've never snogged a woman before_, he thought as he reached the cauldron he shared with Granger. _Just consider her as something… something…_ His sensible part wanted to say "lower than a scum that feeds on fungus". But his heart spoke first. "_Just consider her as something more valuable than the Quidditch World Cup_," it told him. 

He handed her the daisy roots, careful not to brush his fingers against hers. He didn't want to know what her touch would do to him.

*           *           *           

_Great, now he won't even touch my fuckin' hand, for Merlin's sake_, Hermione thought as she wrinkled her nose. She examined the daisy roots carefully, squinting her eyes. Her eyebrow arched a little as she turned to face Malfoy, the first time this period. "How heavy is this?" she asked.

Malfoy shrugged. "Three sickles. Just like it says on the board," he pointed.

"Malfoy, it's _thirteen_ sickles, not three!" Hermione almost shrieked at him. She couldn't believe it. _My god, I almost put them in the cauldron_…

"Okay, okay," Draco said holding up his hands. 

"Seriously, Malfoy, do you know what we would've gotten ourselves into? Head Boy and Head Girl, making a mistake in a complex—"

"Well, my apologies, Ms. Granger," Malfoy said, sarcastically. "I forgot that us humans were not allowed to make mistakes!"

Hermione's mouth gaped at him. "What's wrong with you? I wasn't implying that at all! I was just telling you—"

"How stupid I am that I couldn't read the direction right in my face?"

"I beg your pardon!" Hermione shot back, putting her hands on her hips.

By now, their voices had gone a little louder and everyone stopped looking at their cauldrons. Ron and Harry looked at each other at this new chapter of shocking events but knew better than to go to Hermione's aid and risk points for Gryffindor. Professor Snape was more than furious for the interruption of his reading about the latest fashion in floral dresses. He stood up from his desk and crossed his arms across his chest. He cleared his throat, hoping to get their attention, but to no avail.

"-- Oh yeah? Well what about fourth year when you made me look like an overgrown beaver!" Somehow, their little fight about the potions ingredients turned into a fight of all the events in their previous years. 

"Newsflash! It wasn't aimed at you! If you weren't in the way—"

"_Ahem_…"

"But you still would have done it—"

"Mr. Malfoy" 

"Well what about you? You nearly knocked me out in third year with that slap—"

"Ms. Granger…" 

"Oh you deserved every part of it! I would have hit you twice—"

"Well I wouldn't have allowed it that time!"

"Aurgh! I can't believe we're having a fight because of this!" Hermione screamed, jerking the roots at Draco's face.

"Don't wave those fuckin' roots at my face—SHIT!"

PLOP. In what seemed to be a slow motion, the daisy roots fell into the cauldron, where huge bubbles began to surface almost immediately. The whole classroom gasped. Professor Snape slowly shook his head. "In three seconds we shall be able to see the effects of Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger's carelessness…" Snape told the class. 

"One… Two… Three…"

BANG! Green, thick remnants of the potion landed on Malfoy's hair, on Granger's robes, on Neville's wand, on Parkinson's arms, on Ron's table, and even on Snape's face.

Snape inhaled shakily. _Yoga… Peace… Bunny rabbits…_ He exhaled and let it all out. "Detention, both of you. At my office. Tomorrow, after dinner."

Draco looked appalled at Professor Snape. "_Detention_? _Me_? You're sending me to detention?"

_Rainbows… Cotton Candy… Pigtails…_ "Do refrain from speaking to me, Mr. Malfoy, I am in a very… bad… mood…"

Hermione was shaking her head. She was wondering what had possessed her to act like such a child with Malfoy. Imagine, the Head Girl, landing herself a detention with the Head Boy. _Detention_…

"Get the vials from the cabinet behind you and fill it with your potion for checking. Ten points from each one of you if you don't finish within the next ten minutes."

So working miraculously fast with green slime on their bodies, they did as they were told, and hastily got out of the Potions classroom. Malfoy left with Crabbe and Goyle, who had charmed himself to look clean again, while Ron and Harry comforted their friend on getting her first detention as Head Girl. 

"Did you see?" Lavender asked her friend, Parvati, after wiping her eyes form the green slime and charming herself clean. 

"What?" Parvati asked back, smoothening out her newly cleaned robes. "The fight between Hermione and Draco?"

"No! My Intraserum! I think it looked perfect!"

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

A/N: You guys!! You all were so thoughtful! I'm surprised I can still walk to my room with my head this big! I really really appreciate every single one of them… I'm really nervous coz there are some first time fanfic readers here, and I really want you guys to be D/Hr shippers. A big thanks to all those who put short sweet, gratifying messages… I couldn't keep laughing to myself! Thanks to those who REALLY criticized my fic and told me their exact thoughts on it, everything was well received… You know who you are! (;P) To those who kinda flamed, thanks at least for taking time to tell me what my problem was… L On with the sixth! Tell me what you feel about this new chapter… until then, take care everyone!!


	6. For Whom the Heart Needs

I'm back! How are you all? So sorry I didn't upload sooner. I had a fever yesterday and I couldn't drag my butt to the pc… anyway, here's a new chapter! Hope you like it! Whoops! Before I forget, **This fic has been translated to Spanish, (thanks Draco girl!)** so all those senioritas can go check this out at the **Spanish section** as well! Yipee! Happy reading now! A/N below…

**Chapter 6**

**~For Whom the Heart Needs~**

The Golden Trio were eating dinner the following day at the Great Hall, with a grave-looking Hermione silently finishing her roast beef. Meanwhile, the whole school were whispering at each other, sharing bits of information at what happened in the Potions classroom yesterday, each version as unlikely as the previous one.

"I heard Professor Snape was so mad it was like he was possessed by You-Know-Who!"

"Oh stop it! Voldemort's dead, get used to his name."

"Well I heard the potion they were brewing was so bad the students had to stay at the hospital wing the whole day!"

"Some grew a new pair of eyes!"

"Malfoy would never go out with Granger! It would be against everything he was raised to believe in!"

Only the Golden Trio and Malfoy were oblivious to this widespread fact that the whole school had been paying close attention at what was happening before them. After the fall of the Dark Lord and the considerable peace between Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic, the only thing left that was controversial at Hogwarts was Hagrid's new set of magical creatures, and one rumor involving Mr. Filch, Mrs. Norris, a leather whip and a couple of handcuffs.

"Come on, Hermione, it's not so bad!" Ron said for the hundredth time. "You had detention once, back at first year…"

"Which shouldn't have happened again!" Hermione defended.

"But was bound to happen anyhow," Harry told her objectively.

Hermione's eyes gazed across the room, where she found Malfoy languidly talking with his friends. "I can't believe he's taking it lightly…"

Harry turned his head to follow his gaze. "Look, just don't think about it," he said impatiently. "You're having detention with Malfoy, and Snape'll probably go easy on the both of you, since Malfoy's his favorite student. The worst you can probably do is write lines on the board saying he's the prettiest teacher in Hogwarts."

Ron laughed and almost choked at his scones. 

Hermione absent-mindedly twirled her hair with her finger and glanced at her watch. "Guess I should probably head to the Potions room by now," she started to stand up and brushed the crumbs that had fallen on her school robes. 

"Hold on. I'm coming with you," Harry said and got to his feet. He cast a look at Ron, giving him a meaningful look in the eye. "Coming, Ron?"

"Uh… No," Ron said slowly. "I… uh, I promised Ginny I'd help her with Professor Binn's test." He slid all the way to the other end of the table and stamped on Ginny's foot. Ginny, clearly clueless, but knew what the stamp meant automatically gave Harry and Hermione an overly big, fake smile. 

"You?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron. "History of Magic is your least favorite subject after Potions, Ron."

"Oh, but you haven't noticed how much he's changed!" Harry said quickly. "He was so touched in what happened in 1787 and 1878," he said, and Ron faked a sniff. 

"Devalda March discovered the use of a safety pin in 1787 and 1878 was the year the Minister of Magic decided to change the colors of his office to periwinkle…" Hermione looked apprehensive then shook her head. "Oh never mind, come on, Harry. I'm going to be late!" she said as she grabbed Harry's hand and yanked him to the entrance of the Great Hall. 

"Thanks!" Harry mouthed to his friends before Ron and Ginny waved at them.

*           *           *

The air had gradually turned mucky as they descended in the dungeons where the Potion classroom was. Hermione kept asking Harry what had caused Ron's sudden transformation in History of Magic and Harry was running out of ideas. Finally they became quiet, hearing only the sounds of their footsteps. Hermione casually slid her hand to hold Harry's arm, and leaned on his shoulders. _Just tell her, Potter, just open your mouth_, Harry's voice kept shouting at his head. He nervously glanced at Hermione who was biting her lip once again. She turned to look up to him and smiled, and Harry playfully tugged her long curls. 

_Just tell her_. "That's weird, when did your hair become soft?" he blurted out. _Idiot_.

Hermione shrugged. "Dunno," she replied. "Guess I just grew out of it. Pity though, it always goes to my face."

Harry slid his hands in his pockets and looked down on his feet. "Well, _I_ like it."

She eyed him carefully like he was an armadillo full of pink fur.

"Not that I didn't like it before…I mean," he stammered. "I… well, you know…"

Hermione gave a small laugh. "You're acting strange, Harry. Oh, no, we're here," she said they stopped in front of a black door with a golden knob. The word "_Potions_" was elegantly embossed on top and Hermione turned to look at Harry.

"Oh, god, this is it," Hermione smiled nervously at him. She stood on her toes and leaned forward to give her friend a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for walking me here," she said before turning around to twist the doorknob. 

"Hermione, wait," Harry placed his hand on her shoulder. She stood frozen, unable to move. Harry slowly turned his friend around and Hermione soon realized that his brilliant green eyes had gone softer.

Harry nervously licked his lips. "Um…" _Just tell her. Just fuckin' tell her_. "Good luck. With your detention, I mean." _I give up. Somebody get me out of this guy's head._

"Oh," Hermione said softly, her vocabulary coming back to her. She forced a smile. "Thanks." And without wasting any more time, she turned and left Harry outside the Potions room, who was non-stop banging his head on the door. 

_Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot._

"Oh poor Harry!" Lavender winced before Parvati clasped her mouth with her hand.

"Shh!" Parvati said. "Come on. We've done enough following for one day."

*           *           *           

"Ah, Ms. Granger, this century, perhaps?" Professor Snape said coldly at the young witch. Malfoy was already there, not looking at her but staring straight at the board.

"Sorry," muttered Hermione as she began to make her way to a chair as far away from Draco as possible.

"You need not sit, Ms. Granger." Snape snickered. "I have already arranged for a detention somewhere else. I was just telling Mr. Malfoy here before you decided to grace us with your presence. Follow me, please. And don't make me wait. _Lumos_." 

At once, the three of them left the classroom, Hermione and Draco not saying anything to each other. Malfoy decided to be noble at least, and let Hermione out of the door and was the last person to get out. Snape was holding out his wand above his head while Malfoy was bringing up the rear. They had turned into a corner and Hermione realized that they were descending. Left, straight, right, another left… Fifteen minutes later, the three of them halted in front of a wooden blue door, although in the poor light it looked a shade darker than lavander. "_Alohomora_," Snape hissed before the door squeaked open. 

The three of them went inside, finding themselves in a room of total darkness. "Ow!" "Watch it!" Hermione stubbed her foot on something and stopped herself from yelping in pain. "Where are we, Professor?" Draco's curious voice spoke out in the shadows. 

Snape raised his wand once more in the air. "_Lumos Solarum_," he chanted, and the whole room which had been totally dark was now lit as if the sun shone majestically inside it. Hermione gasped at once when she saw what the room was stored with.

Throughout the vast room, different musical instruments were laid out. A big, black grand piano stood in the center and different wind and percussion instruments were around it. A harp was in the corner of the room, and over at the other side, a huge old-fashioned bass guitar was leaning on the wall. Besides the piano and some violins, everything was clearly made of gold although they probably glistened with dust. It must have been years before they last felt the receiving end of a Cleaning Spell. 

"The Music Room," Snape said, breaking the silent astonishment from both of his students. "These instruments here need a good cleaning. No magic. The rags and the metal polisher are over there, along with everything else you need. I trust you know what to do. Any questions?"

Hermione simply shook her head as she was still looking around in amazement. "How long do we have to do this, Professor?" Draco scowled. 

"A couple of hours will do," Snape answered. "I'll lock the doors to make sure you perform your detention. See you at ten." With that, he turned on his heel and went to the door and opened before he even reached it. After a soft click, Hermione knew things would get ugly.

*           *           *

After Snape left, Draco opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione cut her off. 

"Don't start with me, Malfoy, I'm not in the mood." Hermione couldn't help thinking about the kiss she had suddenly given to Harry, whether it was just a friendly impulse, or something else. _Yeah, right_, her conscience said. _Don't forget Malfoy. Enjoying the attention, dearie?_

"Shut up!" Hermione snapped to herself, a little louder than what was necessary.

"I didn't even speak yet—"

"I said don't start!" Hermione fumed, walking towards the stack of cleaning materials. 

"I was just gonna ask you which side were you gonna clean," Draco said, shaking his head.

 "Oh," Hermione blushed. "Well, um, why don't you take the left while I'll take the right side over here?"

Draco nodded. "Fine…" 

Well, maybe not everything would get ugly.

*           *           *

"Whew!" Hermione said at last, flopping down on the floor. "I thought we'd never finish!" 

It was well over an hour when everything inside the Music Room was polished and waxed. They were so keen on cleaning that they decided to soap the floor as well, with Hermione dancing around, spreading the detergents on the floor while Malfoy ran from one side to another, sliding the mop with him. Hermione was surprised Malfoy was up for cleaning without magic when she knew for a fact that Malfoys never lay their hands on a filthy rag. They had been talking animatedly to each other, about the upcoming exams, Quidditch, the next trip to Hogsmeade, but they never talked about what happened the other night. When everything was finally spic-and-span, both the Head Boy and the Head Girl flopped down on the floor, breathless.

"Snape should be coming any moment now," Malfoy said, staring at the door.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, I'm so dead tired."

"Come on," Malfoy said, before slowly rising to his feet. Hermione followed him with her eyes and saw that he was going to the piano, which he had meticulously cleaned himself.

"You can't play that, you know," Hermione told him.

"Wanna bet?" Draco ran a hand over the top of the black cover which was hiding the black and white keys of the piano. "I took lessons when I was a kid."

"I _meant_ that if Snape hears you, you're dead." Hermione replied flatly. 

"No he wouldn't. Haven't you read _Hogwarts: A History_?" 

Hermione looked shocked at him. _You have… I've never… How dare you…_

"The music these instruments create is only for the ears of whom the musician wants to play for. Sometimes, it's only for school guests and visitors. That's why you've never heard it before because no one, I reckon, has ever played for you."

Draco was expecting a violent reaction to this when Hermione raised her eyebrow. "Which edition are you talking about?"

It took a moment before he realized what she was asking. "Fifth."

Hermione frowned. _And all the while I've been reading the fourth_, she thought. _Mental note: Buy a new edition of Hog—_

"People often said that it was a sort of calling. It was more than playing for someone," Draco continued, his voice falling as if on a trance again. With one graceful movement, he slid on the bench and slowly opened the cover. Ebony and Ivory gleamed at him. "There's this girl who swore she heard the sound of a violin being played by her long time beau while he was still in Hogwarts. She was over at France that time, on Christmas vacation." He paused, and pressed on a single key, letting a solitary note fill the air.

"And do you happen to know this girl?" she asked him curiously.

A higher note escaped from the keys. "My mother."

"Who was playing…?"

"My father."

Hermione was startled. She wasn't sure if knowing something more about the Malfoys was a good or a bad thing. She looked around as the sound vibrated in the walls. "So, are you saying the music only plays for whom the heart wants?"

Malfoy's lips curved into a smirk. "Ten points to Gryffindor," he said. Suddenly, the single notes escaping from the piano became a solid harmony, his fingers gracefully playing with the keys, a haunting music that reached into Hermione soul. Slowly she began to stand up, and walk over to Draco, finally resting her hands on the edge of piano. 

"Would have been twenty points though," Draco dropped his voice as the music filled their soul. He spoke softly just enough for Hermione to hear him. He chose not to look at her. "_It plays for whom the heart needs_."

She watched as Draco seemed to be hypnotized, totally ensnared in the melody that he was playing. The music seemed rather sad and frightening, but Hermione never left her eyes on him. His silver hair had cascaded over his eyes, and his fingers were gliding elegantly through the keys. She kept silent as the miserable beautiful heartbreaking song filled her ears, her soul, her whole heart.

Hearing the music made Hermione feel like crying and laughing at the same time. She was confused, yet she knew what was going on. The harmony was sending out all the paradox in the universe, and it was making Hermione senseless. 

"It's funny when you think you've got everything worked out, and suddenly find everything crumbling down. You know you want something, yet you can never have it. You've finally found the reason to live, hell, she's just right in front of you, but she's so far away." His fingers ceased playing, and the Music Room was finally filled with a deafening silence.

Draco looked up from the keys to Hermione's eyes. "I wasn't lying, you know."

She broke away from her trance. "About what?"

"That I've fallen for you."

No words were spoken after that. They stared into each other's eyes, Draco sitting on the bench while Hermione, standing by the piano. In the end, silence was the answer to everything, and Hermione succumbed into it. It was a while before they heard Snape's footsteps coming into the room. Together they left, went to their rooms and gradually fell asleep. 

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

A/N: Hehehe.. Howd ja like it? I'm dying to know what you think about this chapter… thanks again for those colorful reviews! I'm sorry if you guys were expecting a HOT sexy detention…I just thought I'd take things a bit slow, after that horrible chpter4… Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you… Anyhoo! **Next chapter, a HOT new character, blood, and getting "Down With the Sickness"….** Dun dun dun…. : ) 

Anyone got a Friendster account? Add me! Contact me! refine_j@yahoo.com


	7. Down With the Sickness

**Hi guys! Decided to put one more chapter.. Hehehe… realized some of you might not like the previous chapter… Don't forget to review now, dearies….**

**~Chapter 7~**

**~Down with the Sickness~**

Nothing was ever going to be the same again. After Malfoy revealed his true feelings for Hermione, all she ever did was spend more time at the library. When she didn't have any classes to attend to, there you would find her, nose buried in a book expecting the answer to what she was feeling pop infront of her. She was sure that she didn't hate him anymore, but why so? She knew they would never belong to each other, but why hope? Did she like him? Did she even love him?

Fights between Draco and Harry have been growing more intense. They have landed themselves detention in just about every class they were taking, except from Professor Binns who would never really notice if a giant ogre wearing a pink tutu would find it's way in his classroom. By the end of the week, Gryffindor and Slytherin were at the bottom of the huge hourglass, with Gryffindor leading by a mere five points. 

Meanwhile a growing tension had begun to the rest of the students at Hogwarts. Everyone knew something dreadful was going to happen, although they pretended they didn't know anything. They continued to normally take their classes, eat their meals in the Great Hall, even play games out in the grounds if it was a good day. But at night, lips were constantly moving, speaking only of two names… _"Draco and Hermione…"_

*           *           *

Draco Malfoy was making his way down to the Quidditch Field for a practice that he had called for Slytherin. They had a match against Ravenclaw next week and they couldn't afford to lose to the bunch of know-it-alls. The practice was set for ten o'clock in the evening, and he was a bit surprised that his team was willing to practice this late. It was supposed to be earlier, but Puchnik, one of his chasers, had requested to move the practice since he had Remedial Transfigurations that day. "All of us are gonna be there," Puchnik had said after Draco complied. "You're not gonna regret this." Draco had dismissed whatever his chaser had meant by that. 

On the outside, you could see a tall, silver-blonde Slytherin clad in his green Quidditch robes, the serpent emblem glistening in the soft light. Underneath those robes was a lean, flawless body girls could only dream about. Over his broad shoulder, he was tightly gripping his broom, a Polaris S Type, a better and revised model of Potter's Firebolt. His hair hid his eyes, his face showed no emotions, except for that cold sneer that formed in his lips. No one would ever know he was thinking about Hermione Granger. 

When he reached the field, he was expecting his team to be already there. But there were more. The whole seventh year Slytherins boys were standing together, looking at him with complete disgust and utmost anger. 

Malfoy frowned. "What's going on?"

Crabbe was the first one to walk over to him, and the rest of the Slytherins followed suit. "_Traitor_," he drawled before landing his fist on Draco's stomach.

*           *           *

"You sure about this, Harry?" 

Ron looked down on his friend, who wore determination in his face. Harry had dragged Ron from the Common Room that night while Hermione was still in the library. The two of them were walking down towards the Quidditch Field when Harry explained everything. 

"Yeah," Harry muttered, clenching his fists. "This is the only way to end this. I'm gonna go over and talk to that Malfoy git and if he doesn't try to be civil with me, I'm gonna beat the shit out of him…"

Ron looked nervously at his friend. It was the first he had seen him this sadistic. Harry had told him that the Slytherins were having a practice at seven o'clock so the practice would be over by this time, unless there was a change. 

"Don't you think this is a bit too… violent, Harry?" Ron asked uncertainly.

Harry laughed. "As if you've never wanted to hit Malfoy right in the nose."

"Well, yeah, but…" Ron hesitated. "You really love her, don't you?"

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes turned to his friend. "You have no idea."

_"You bastard! You don't deserve to live!"_

Ron and Harry looked at his other. What was that? Slowly, they made their way to the Quidditch Field, where what looked like the Slytherin team along with a few others, were huddled around each other, kicking someone or something which had fallen on the floor. Only one Slytherin was remained out of the huddle, a boy Harry recognized as Blaise Zabini. He wasn't on their Quidditch Team, but he was still popular, after Malfoy. They gave little nods to each other at the corridors, although Harry never trusted him enough to be considered as a "good" Slytherin. 

The two of them hid under the huge bushes, careful not to breathe too loudly. "Oh man, is that an animal?" Ron asked under his breath.

Harry shrugged as his eyes squinted at the dark. Soon as the moon had appeared from the sky, its light rested on a silver head, tainted with what looked like blood…

"Shit. That's Malfoy."

"What?" Ron gasped. He looked over from where Harry was sitting. "Come on, let's help the ferret."

"No, not yet." Harry needed more answers, and if he just watched for a few more seconds, his questions might be put to rest. He looked at Zabini. "Why isn't he doing anything?" 

Ron shrugged. "He's probably waiting for his turn. You know, like the alpha male or something."

Harry looked at his friend. "You have no idea what you're talking about," he said as he observed once more what was happening with the Slytherins.

*           *           *

"_Aurgh_!" Malfoy moaned as someone's fist landed on his left cheek. He fell on the ground once more, clutching the earth tightly at the excruciating pain forming all over his limbs. His head hit a stone earlier and now blood was flowing down his face, but to the immense surprise of the Slytherins, Malfoy only laughed.

"Are you quite done yet?" he spat blood on the ground and gave them a sneer. "Or are we gonna continue this cowardly, barbaric fist fight twenty-five to one?"

Damien Bagerbath, big and burly as Crabbe and Goyle but with a lot more IQ that the two put together, grabbed his wand from his pocket and aimed right at Draco. "What the hell's happening to you, Malfoy?" he gritted his teeth. "If you're dad was alive he'd disown you for dirtying yourself with that mudblood whore!"

Malfoy furiously shook his head and wiped the blood that was coming into his eyes. "You forget, Damien, he's dead. And I personally don't give a fuck what you think."

"CRUCIO!"

A jet of blue light escaped from the end of Damien's wand and hit Draco in the chest. He withered in pain on the ground, but no sound escaped from his lips. 

"You're a Slytherin, damn it! We're doing this for you!"

Malfoy squeezed his eyes shut. The rest of the Slytherins were watching, Blaise Zabini viewing from the big stone he was leaning against. His raven black hair was invisible to the night, and only his bright blue eyes reflected in the moonlight. The whole world was turning very fast, and Draco Malfoy's heart felt like it was about to explode. "Why do I find that hard to believe, Damien?"

"CRUCIO!"

Another blue light hit Draco, longer than the first time. "You stay away from that bitch, do you hear me! If any of us sees you staring at that Granger bitch one more time, I fuckin' swear she's gonna pay for it!"

"Lay a finger on her, _Damien_, and I'm gonna kill you," Malfoy said in an undertone, the pain almost unbearable. _Hermione…_

Damien snorted. "Maybe. If you're still alive." He raised his wand once more at Malfoy's weak form, only to find Draco smirking back at him. "Even near death Draco, you manage to give me that stupid grin. I admire you for that. _Avada_—"

"That's enough Damien!" Blaise Zabini suddenly held him back, violently lowering his wand arm. "No one's gonna die tonight."

 "MMMEEEOOOWW."

Damien sharply turned around. "What was that?"

"I think it's Filch's cat," Blaise answered, casting a glance at Malfoy. "Let's just get him inside the castle."

"MMMEEEOOOWWWWW."

One of the Slytherins gasped. "It's Mrs. Norris! Let's get out of here!"

Immediately the Slytherins ran back towards the castle, leaving Malfoy dirty and bloody on the ground. Blaise hesitated to help Malfoy up, but he only stood there, looking down at him. "Why couldn't you just stay away from her?" he asked, almost sympathetically, before sprinting to the doors of the castle.

Draco lay there, breathless, his eyes shut. He couldn't care less if a hundred dementors came and watched him die… 

"Nice job, Ron, that Mrs. Norris impression was very impressive."

_Maybe if I say a little pray—Was that Potter?_

"Well, having the same genes as the now legendary Fred and George Weasley, I inherited myself the talent for being a con artist."

_Ron fuckin' Weasley._

Malfoy slowly opened his eyes, to see two forms looking down on him, grinning, to be exact.

"How're you feelin', Malfoy?" Harry asked, his green eyes glinting through his glasses.

Draco shook his head in disbelief. "Never better, Potter." He agonizingly turned his head to look at Ron. "Weasley."

Ron nodded his head to him. "Malfoy."

Harry bent over and went to his knees. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing."

Slowly they carried Malfoy to his feet, Harry and Ron supporting both of his sides. It was a sight to remember. A lion, a serpent, and a lion. Lavender and Parvati who were "stargazing" over at the other side of the field, smartly hidden, were looking at each other. 

"Did you see?" asked Lavender.

Parvati was furiously fanning herself with her hand. "So… many… blood… never… all my… eeewww…. I'm gonna be sick…"

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

A/N: Well? Nervously clutching my hair here… Tell me honestly what you think, okay? I'll be prepared… Thanks so much! Can't get enough of Lav and Pav… hahaha… oh!

**I realize that we have been reading too many fan fictions, that some info we get here isn't the same in canon… Hehhe, like me, after reading Cassandra Claire's Draco Trilogies (all hail cassie!) I kept believing Blaise Zabini was a girl. Looked at my books again and noticed it's a boy. Blaise is a guy! Hehehe… so expect more of Blaise and his sexy looks later… mwahahhaa!!!! I love you guys!!!!!!!!!! Mwahhugs!**


	8. Stay With Me

Whoops! Blaise Zabini ISN'T anything, just a genderless character. (_Thanks Dracodew17, burgundyred, Dead Lenore and svetaella_ for bringing this to my attention.) I checked SS again, and I guess I just saw too many "he" around Zabini after he got sorted, I think I just got carried away. Forgive me? 

**Chapter Eight**

**Stay With Me**

"Harry Potter!" 

Madame Pomfrey immediately put down her copy of "_A Healer's Guide through Damages and Injuries_" when Harry and Ron came charging to the Hospital Wing. They were carefully dragging Malfoy between them, who was too weak to walk and carry his own legs.

"What have you and Mr. Weasley done to him?" Madame Pomfrey demanded as they put Draco on one of the hospital beds.

Ron's mouth dropped open. Before he could say anything, Draco spoke with a barely audible voice. "They didn't do anything," he whispered arrogantly. "I was practicing Quidditch by myself after playing with my team. I accidentally jinxed the Bludger to chase after me." Lying was common to Malfoy as breathing was to other people.

Madame Pomfrey raised her eyebrows apprehensively and looked at Harry and Ron. "And what were you two doing there?"

"Enjoying a moonlit walk?" said Ron uncertainly.

Madame Pomfrey turned to Draco and motherly brushed his sweat-damped hair away from his eyes. A big purple bruise surfaced on his left eye, and there was a nasty cut on his lower lip. Blood was slowly creeping down from his mouth and a generous amount of it was flowing from his head. He was still clad in his rich green Quidditch robes, and Madame Pomfrey could only imagine what other bruises lay underneath them. 

"I'll take care of him," she said comfortingly to Harry and Ron. "You best leave the Wing and get some sleep." And with that, she briskly walked towards the cabinet where her supply of medicine and ointments were.

Harry chuckled softly when she left. . "God, Malfoy," he said, his eyes roaming the Slytherin. "You look terrible."

 "Still a _god_ compared to you," Draco replied haughtily. "You didn't have to fuckin' do this."

_Bastard_, Harry thought. "Leaving someone half-dead on the grounds would make us part of your sort, Malfoy."

"I could have taken care of myself. Zabini was—"

"Just because we helped you out there doesn't mean we're all chummies, alright?" said Ron with a disgusted look on his face.

"Relax, Weasley, I'd—" Draco squeezed his eyes shut as a new pain surged its way up his body. "Being friends with you isn't exactly on my to-do list," he gritted his teeth.

A little noise from the school nurse's office told Harry it was time to leave. "We'd better go," he said to his friend. 

"You're right," Ron nodded, throwing Malfoy a look of hatred. "Before I do the Slytherins a favor and finish the fuckin' ferret off myself…"

Draco opened his eyes and stared blankly at him. "Is that a threat, Weasley, or are you just making a wish?"

"Let's _go_," Harry clutched his friend's robes and pulled him to the door before Ron could lunge himself on Malfoy.

*           *           *

Lavender and Parvati were talking in hushed voices to a bunch of sixth years when the Dynamic Duo came into the Gryffindor Common Room. Both didn't notice the curious glances thrown by the lot. Ron was still red and fuming with anger when they reached their dormitories. "Stupid, ungrateful git… Not one word of thanks…" 

Harry Potter lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling above him, his mind racing.

_He really does love him_, he thought, remembering all those Slytherins beating Malfoy's helpless form on the field. He was fighting for her, suffering badly for Hermione. _Love's too strong a word… But you would have done the same thing for her_, he told himself.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He saw her smiling, her brown eyes glistening countless of times at him. _"You're a great wizard, Harry…" "Ha! I told you Sirius Black sent you the Firebolt!" "Get it, Harry!" "Promise me we'll never fight again…"_

Harry's eyes fluttered open but he could still clearly see Hermione leaning down on his shoulder, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, clutching his arm when she was afraid, knowing she was safe when he was with her, each scene flashing before his eyes. 

_Time to let her go, Harry_, he thought. _Just let her go._

He fell asleep with a peaceful smile on his face, lost in his world of dreams; the only place where Hermione was truly his. 

*           *           *

"Hermione?"

The heart is a complex organ. Muggle Scientists (human muggles who dress in white robes and talk funny) have already identified its four chambers, but the wizards over at the Department of Muggle Breakthroughs and Wizarding Benefits of the Russian Ministry of Magic claim to have discovered a fifth chamber, a hollow space a wizard might reserve for his special loved one…

"Hermione, are you awake?"

Dear Desperate Sorceress, Maybe he's in love with you. Even thought he's a goblin and you're a hag, maybe you can still settle the differences…

"Wake up," Somebody was gently shaking her by the shoulders. Hermione's eyes fluttered open and immediately felt a sharp pang on her neck. At first she saw that she was surrounded by books and when she turned to look at her sides, she found her two best friends grinning at her. 

"Mornin'," she mumbled. 

"Thought we'd find you here," Harry said gently. 

"Mmf," Hermione replied, rubbing her eyes. "Where am I?"

Ron gasped. "Could it be?" he asked, theatrically clasping his hands to his mouth. "Our Hermione's forgotten where she is!"

"You're in the library, Hermione, you fell asleep," Harry answered, playfully tugging her soft brown curls.

Hermione strained to remember what happened last night. She stayed up a little longer in the library, searching for the effects of frog brains to an Aging Potion, when she decided to do a bit of light reading about the human heart. She remembered her Muggle Studies teacher back in third year, Professor Wurstew, say that it was the most difficult part of the body, uncertain of so many— Wait a sec. Professor… Is it time for Charms already?

"Oh my goodness! What time is it? We're gonna be late!" Hermione suddenly sprang from her chair, nearly giving Harry and Ron a heart attack, and sending the chair to the floor with a loud THUD.

A loud "Shh!" came from Madame Pince's desk, then a few seconds later, silence.

"Geez, Hermione, calm down!" Ron exclaimed, grabbing his heart. "Today's a Saturday!" 

"O-Oh," Hermione blushed. She pulled the chair from the floor and sat back down on it. "I'm, sorry, you guys," she said as Ron sat beside her while Harry sat on the table. "I just—"

"—Haven't been yourself lately?" Harry helped. Hermione defeatedly nodded her head while the two boys exchanged glances. They couldn't agree more.

"Anyway, what brings you here to the library?" Hermione asked. 

"Well, we wanted to talk to you about something," Harry began, pushing his glasses up his nose. "We asked your portrait if you were already awake but the Two Lovers told us that you never went there to sleep… So we thought you'd be here."

Hermione nodded and looked over to Ron, expecting him to continue.

"You see," Ron cleared his throat. "It's about Malfoy—"

"Oh _please_!" Hermione sank to her chair, exasperated. "How many times have I told you—"

"Hermione, just listen to us for a sec, alright?" Harry interrupted. And so the two boys told her what happened last night, what had happened to Draco, and what he had done for her.

"Where is he now?" Hermione asked afterwards, her face full of concern.

"At the Hospital Wing," Ron answered grudgingly.

Hermione slowly nodded. Harry could almost see the little wheels in Hermione's head as she bit her lip in deep thought.

"I've got to see him," she finally said.

*           *           *

When Malfoy slowly opened his eyes, the first thing that he noticed was that the bed where he awoke upon wasn't as soft and comfortable as it should be. He quickly turned around and realized that he was in the Hospital Wing as the events of last night came flooding back in his mind.

Oh shit.

He glanced around and saw a bunch of beautiful flowers, chocolates and other sweets arranged on the table by his bed. He grabbed one of the cards and read it. "Get well soon, from Sally Anne Perks." He frowned. Who the hell was Perks? He looked at the others and saw that they were well-wishers signed with names Malfoy didn't know before; _Jennifer Agsworth, Terry Boot, Ernie Macmillian, Kendra Matilda, Lavender and Parvati…_ He knew one name though, Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff prefect, who had given him a red, heart-shaped card. He rolled his eyes as he threw it back where it came from.

How is it that the whole school knew that he was at the Hospital Wing overnight? And what was he to do now? The whole Slytherin House is against him, not to mention Crabbe and Goyle whom he thought were on his side.

What the hell does he care anyway? He never did give a damn about Slytherin Pride with all their rules; "_Slytherins never do this… Slytherins only do that_…" It was like being in a prison he wanted to escape from. He didn't want to belong anywhere anymore.

_Come to think of it, what were Potter and Weasley doing outside last night?_ But he immediately shook his head. He didn't want to waste his time thinking about those two. 

Think, Malfoy, think. You've let your heart control your mind far too long… 

Just then, he heard footsteps coming down from the doors and a familiar, enchanting scent reached his nose. Draco's chuckled softly, amazed at himself for sensing her presence. Keeping his eyes gently closed, he leaned back on the headrest as a cold sneer formed on his lips. 

"What are you doing here, Granger?"

*           *           *

Hermione skidded to a stop as Draco acknowledged her presence. She was surprised and a bit frightened when he had suddenly spoken to her, even with his eyes closed. But that wasn't what made her stop. Amidst all the identical white beds that were lined up on the wall, Malfoy stood out as he was dressed in his dark green, almost black pajamas, paler than usual. The bruises Hermione had imagined were already gone, but he looked weak and tired. It was as if he was already dead.

She walked slowly towards him and stopped infront of his bed. "Open your eyes and look at me, Malfoy."

"I don't take orders from you, Granger," he drawled, his silver hair falling as he carefully shook his head.

"_Open them and look at me_."

Hermione gazed at him as Draco slowly complied, his pale-gray orbs staring back at her. 

He knew she would understand everything, knew she could read through his eyes the moment he opened them for her. Draco tried to make them as unreadable as possible, but failed when he saw her standing in front of him. 

She probably took a shower before she came here because her hair was still damp. That's why he could smell her from where he was lying. The only thing that destroyed the beauty in front of him was the pair of eyebrows that decided to meet and made Hermione frown. _Potter and Weasley must've told her then_, he thought to himself. 

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, MALFOY?" Hermione yelled as she put her hands on her hips. "What's gotten into that thick skull of yours? You were so outnumbered! Why did you have to do it?" Hermione paused for a while, trying to choke back a sob. "What were you trying to prove?"

Malfoy stared at her, trying to calm himself. _She should be grateful to me_. "I wasn't trying to prove anything," he gritted his teeth. "My team was already there with all those other bastards. I didn't see it coming, alright?"

Hermione shut her eyes, willing her tears to go away. "You're easily the most powerful wizard in Slytherin right now—"

"We weren't dueling, Granger. It was an uncivilized—"

"Well you could have done something!" Hermione spat, banging her fist on the bedpost. Draco glared at her as she grasped the metal railing tightly. "Draco, you could have _died_…"

He looked away from her. Maybe because she had called her Draco again. Or maybe because he couldn't stand to see Hermione crying, knowing it was his fault. 

"Damn it," she cursed as she tried to stop her uncontrollable tears. "T-This is so unfair! It's all my fault, y-you're just gonna use this against me—"

"Will you shut up about yourself already!" Draco snapped at Hermione, facing her once more. "This isn't just about you! How do you think I feel about all of this? I owe Potter and Weasley my _life_!" He jabbed his finger on his chest. "Do you know how shameful that is? Do you know what that means to me?"

She looked at him in disbelief. "You know, it wouldn't hurt if you'd let go of your pride for once—"

"And it wouldn't hurt either if you'd stop telling people what to do all the time!"

"_Aurgh_!" Hermione cried out in response, flopping down to at the foot of his bed. "Why do things have to be so complicating?"

"Not used to not knowing everything, Granger?" Draco snorted, ignoring the consequences of what he was going to ask next. "Don't try to act like you don't feel the same way."

"That's exactly what my problem is!" Hermione said exasperatedly. "Why? I haven't got the faintest clue to what I'm feeling then all of a sudden I let myself snog you in our common room, practically this close to having sex…" She brought her thumb and index finger closer by a two-millimeter gap.

"Well as much as I'd like to shag you senseless, things are pretty unclear for me too," Draco said sarcastically. "I'd keep my knickers to myself if I were you until I've sorted it all out."

Hermione gaped at him. "How dare you talk to me like that…" 

"Look, I didn't mean—" Draco stuttered as Hermione got up the bed and made her way towards the door. "Oh come on! Are we gonna have another row about this?"

"… Absolutely no respect…" Hermione was only a couple of feet away from the door. 

"Granger, don't go!" Draco raised his voice, calling after her. Hermione stood frozen on her spot. _Just leave. Just leave_. But her muscles betrayed her will, and she soon found herself turning around to look into Draco's clearly pleading eyes.

"Don't walk out on me like that." 

She took a deep breath to calm herself. "What is it this time Malfoy?" She slowly walked towards him, defeated once again. "Are you going to feed me with more words to keep me awake at night? What things are you going to do now to make me like you even more?"

Draco looked into her red and swollen eyes as he gently pulled her to sit beside him on the bed. "Don't cry, Granger." 

He reached out and ran his thumb on her tear-streaked face, trying to gain control over his self. He missed the feel of her skin so much. "Are you in love with me?" Draco asked, not daring to leave his eyes off her. 

Hermione glanced down. Is she? "I don't know," she replied truthfully. Draco slightly tapped her forehead. "Don't listen there." He placed his palm over Hermione's chest, feeling the nervous beating of her heart. "Listen here…. Are you in love with me?"

Hermione closed her eyes, letting her heart decide for once. _You know him already by heart. He's saved your life, suffered for you, and you miss his touch and his kiss… _She knew it. She knew it all along…  "Yes," she whispered. She exhaled deeply and held the hand that was over her heart. "I'm in love with you, Malfoy." She gazed at the Slytherin. 

Draco could have easily conjured the world's greatest Patronus if he knew only how. He softly smirked at Hermione. "I thought so."

"But this is so crazy," Hermione said, smiling and shaking her head at the same time. "We fight, we talk, and then fight, and then talk… I mean, is this how falling in love should be?"

Draco sighed heavily as he brought Hermione's hand to his face. "Sometimes, it's better if we don't ask a lot of questions and just… accept things as they are," he smiled inwardly, knowing he should be really telling this to himself. 

"Well, I'd be surprised if we're both still alive by the end of the term," Hermione replied as she began to get off the bed.

"Stay with me," Draco told her as she got up. 

"I can't," Hermione smiled, checking her reflection on the mirror. "I promised them this would just be a quick visit. We're going to Hogsmeade today, do some Christmas shopping."

_Fuck that Potter and Weasley_. "Christmas. Right." He had forgotten about the holidays completely. "A kiss then, Granger, that's all I ask."

Hermione raised her eyebrow at him as she bent down and her face came closer and closer. "And all you're gonna get." _Smack_. "For now," she added, as she turned on her heel and went out the door. Pity Malfoy didn't see the big smile on her was she left.

Draco kept his eyes closed, savoring the taste of Hermione's lips on his. But it wasn't long before he heard an all too familiar voice in the Hospital Wing. 

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Malfoy?"

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

Cliffy! Thought it was time to use this ;) Don't worry, you'll get the next a lot sooner.

THANKS SO MUCH TO THE AWESOME REVIEWERS!! You guys are great, I really love you guys! Thanks for pointing out my mistakes. Nice to know we've got some rockers there like me who recognized chap7's title, Down With the Sickness by Disturbed. Kept playing it while Draco was beaten up. LOL. 

To the classical freaks! Do you know any piece that could be perfect for what Draco played in the music room? Sad, beautiful miserable harmony… Thanks! 

How bout if we keep Blaise hot mysterious, would that be alright? I mean, "Blaise" is a good name for a guy, like Blaze, or Blade, or something, and I've already got plans… *sniff… tell me what you think, okay?? I'll see you guys in the next chapter!! POP (Apparated).

Ceres Vesta 


	9. The Sorting Hat Speaks

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank 

**EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTE: **If you are really not the appropriate age for an R-rated fanfiction, then I certainly hope you leave now. Nope there aren't any smut scenes yet (sorry Serpent du Feu!) but the A/N is one hell of note for mature audiences/readers only. Enjoy.

**~Chapter Nine~**

**The Sorting Hat Speaks**

He opened his eyes to look at the boy in front of him, wearing nothing but black, his long, raven hair falling over his eyes. "If it isn't Blaise Zabini," Malfoy smirked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What the fuck do you think?" Zabini leered back at him. "I'm here to help you."

Malfoy laughed out loud. "I didn't ask for anyone's help, Zabini."

Blaise remained looking at him, hands inside his pockets. "Madame Pomfrey came to me downstairs on her way to the kitchen. She forgot to tell you that you're still gone be sore, but you can leave now if you want. She told me to help you with your stuff."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at him. "Why do I get the feeling that I don't trust you enough for that?"

"No one ever does for anything." Blaise snickered, his pale blue eyes glinting. "Some people take my word for it. Some don't."

Malfoy eyed him carefully before slowly getting out of bed. The pain that had been unbearable was now only a slight pang. He felt better. "How long have you been here?" he asked Blaise.

"Long enough to wonder what Granger's worth to _shag her senseless_," he drawled.

Almost immediately Malfoy's eyes became dark as he drew his wand from his pocket. "You stay the _fuck_ away from her, Zabini, is that clear?" he hissed under his breath.

"Crystal," Blaise replied lazily, apparently undaunted by the wand aimed at his heart. He slithered to sit on the bed, his black robes clashing perfectly with the white sheets. "Now hurry up and get dressed. We need to talk."

*           *           *

After leaving the Hospital Wing and abandoning the rest of the flowers Malfoy received, the two Slytherins made their way down to the lake, thankful that the sky didn't show any signs of a rainstorm coming up. 

If no one knew Draco and Blaise, they could have been easily mistaken for brothers. Although Draco was a little taller, both had the same pale skin and had the same expression on their face. A look of indifference, laziness and secrecy. Draco was sitting on a big rock, his arm resting on top of his drawn-up knee. Blaise was a bit further from him, leaning his back on an old tree. 

"We weren't expecting for it to go that far," Blaise spoke. "I told them we needed to talk to you first, but I guess Damien had more pull than me." He paused. "Was it painful?"

Draco snorted. "Like hell it was,' he replied, his hand balling into a fist. "But it felt like nothing."

Blaise stared at the horizon, ignoring the playful glides of the Giant Squid. "You're lucky, you know," he said as he shifted his weight on his other foot. "After the Great War was over, many of us suffered so many losses, we forgot how to _feel_ already."

Draco remained silent, not knowing where Zabini was getting at. 

"Last night, Malfoy, you proved to me how much you haven't changed at all. You were still stubborn for not listening to us, still stupid for standing up to yourself." He turned his head and smirked at Draco. "But you could still love. I was impressed."

"It wasn't love, Blaise," Draco quickly shook his head. "Probably just—"

"It was love, Malfoy," he replied. "Stop denying it to yourself."

Draco glared at the lake.

"Summer after fifth year, the war sparked, and I knew you were in love with her already," Blaise continued as if there were no interruptions. "But when it ended, your feelings for her hadn't changed at all. Not even after losing a father…"

"Lucius was stupid and a coward who followed whatever Voldemort told him to do," Draco replied angrily. "It was a disgrace to be a son of lapdog."

Zabini looked at him with a curious look on his face. "So when you're father, what did you do?"

"Nothing." Draco said blankly as the past came crashing into his mind. 

Lucius had just Apparated to the Malfoy Manor after an attack on the House of Grangers, utterly disappointed. "Only the father was there… Could have loved to kill that little mudblood who made our son second-best…"  Draco could have lounged at his father had it not been for the Dark Mark that summoned him to Voldemort. 

Voldemort was growing weak, desperate and crazy and he knew that he was going to lose the fight. He had killed Lucius Malfoy because of the pathetic attack on the Grangers, as well as the other mudbloods in the Wizarding World. He had regretted it well since it brought upon the speedy downfall of the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord's as well. Lucius' death was not at all lamented.

They had fought different battles, but his side lost, Harry fuckin' Potter had triumphed, and that was then end of it. The War had been brief, he had done his best, and Draco decided leave that as it was. 

"What about you, Blaise?" Draco asked, shaking the images of his past away. "What happened to you? You used to be so… out there. I mean, you weren't in the Quidditch Team, but you used to get around. Now you've been roaming around by yourself. Hell, I think I even saw you greet Potter once."

"Been doing a lot of thinking," Zabini replied casually. "I sacrificed too much, lost too much. And when the Dark Lord was defeated, I've been wondering if everything I did was worth it. Turned out it wasn't. This whole mudblood, pureblood thing… This Slytherin-Gryffindor business… In the end, if you ask me, it's all just plain—"

"—bullshit." Draco and Blaise said together at the same time. 

"I know what you mean, Zabini," Malfoy told him. 

Blaise laugh out loud. A gush of silence swept past them again. "Slytherin will be in ruins without you." He smirk at Malfoy. 

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting then?"

*           *           *

"Come on you guys, I know we can do this! Now are you all with me?"

"Get the fuck lost, Crabbe," Wendell Stratford, the Slytherin Keeper, yelled at him.

It was minutes before the Slytherin match against Ravenclaw, and the whole Serpent team had glum looks on their faces, like they had lost humiliatingly even before the game began. Their brooms were all polished, their robes were all cleaned, but none of the players were ready to play. 

"We need him, don't we?" Goyle muttered, as he fumbled with his thick fingers. 

Damien Bagerbath growled at him. "We don't need a mudblood-lover like him."

"How are we supposed to win the game without a fuckin' Seeker, then?" Kevin Flint, younger brother of the previous captain, and Chaser pointed out. "You guys could have at least planned the ambush _after_ we played all the matches—"

"Relax Flint, we already talked to Zabini," Puchnik replied. "We told him we'd pay him 50 galleons if he played for us until the Cup is over."

"And?" Stratford asked, raising his eyebrows. "Did he say yes?"

"Well, er," Puchnik looked over at Bagerbath. "He didn't say no either—"

"Fuck it!" Stratford yelled, throwing his Nimbus Two Thousand and One in the air. "That's it! We're dead! Malfoy's all we've got and he's gone! You fuckin' think Zabini's gonna play for us? He's hardly a Slytherin anymore—"

_"Temper, tempter."_

A deep husky voice caught Stratford off guard and made him stop in mid sentence. The whole team quickly spun around to see who it was.

Blaise Zabini had entered their tent, his hair falling over his eyes. "I believe I've got something you need to win this fuckin' game." He raised his hand and brushed them away and his pale blue eyes sparkled with mischief. 

Bagerbath and Puchnik didn't like the sound of it. "Show us," Damien drawled.

Zabini leered at him and walked sideways, just as a new figure entered the tent. His Polaris rested over his shoulder, the aluminum stainless steel glinting. The silver haired boy raised his head and looked at the Slytherin Quidditch Team, a smirk forming on his lips. "Missed me?"

*           *           *

Slytherin won the Quidditch match that day, creaming the Ravenclaws by 230 points. The whole team had welcomed Malfoy with open arms, although some with reluctance. Bagerbath and Puchnik were sporting a sardonic look on their faces while Crabbe and Goyle were on the verge of tears, begging Malfoy to forgive them. Everyone nonetheless listened to Draco's instructions as he clearly told his team what to do; "Stay at the center, Stratford!" "Aim for the Chaser, Goyle!" "He's open! Pass it to him, Puchnik!"

And the game went on, Blaise Zabini acting like an assistant coach, a spectator from the Slytherin Tent, and a gradual close friend of Draco Malfoy. 

If there was one thing that united the Slytherins, it was their thirst for victory. Once they had their Captain back, nothing stopped them from winning against those know-it-all Ravenclaws. It was like a new spirit and pride overcame them all, and nothing went in their way. After that, they had managed to defeat Hufflepuff in a very wet and rainy match by a whooping 120 points, although their Keeper got himself a broken arm. 

Slytherin regained the title of the Quidditch House Cup once more, beating Gryffindor only by 20 points. It was the first time they had won fair and square, and no one found anything to complain about. Except maybe for Snape who was jumping up and down, totally uncharacteristic of him. 

As Dean Thomas shouted (rather sadly) "Slytherin wins the House Cup," the loud cheers that came from the green and silver side of the Quidditch field indicated that once again, Draco Malfoy was their Prince. 

*           *           *           

He still couldn't believe that they had won the Quidditch House Cup. Draco Malfoy was clutching the Golden Trophy (a beautiful piece of metal where I serpent was embossed, snaking its way around the cup) with one hand while walking down the corridors. He had just come from the Slytherin Common Room where a party was still in full swing. He wanted to leave early in spite of groans and complaints from his Housemates, but they decided to let him go after a quick touch of the Cup. Professor Snape had agreed to part with the trophy for the night, before it would rest once more on the shelf of his office, where it rightfully belonged.

"Well done," Zabini had said when Draco was on his way outside the Common Room.

"Couldn't have been without you," he answered and disappeared through the door.

*           *           *

"_Impermissus Adamo_," he drawled lazily when he reached the Head Room. His long fingers grasped the trophy tightly as he went inside. _I'm going to sleep with this tonight. This is never going to leave my hands—_

"You made Gryffindor lose the House Cup."

Startled, Draco tore his gaze away from the trophy and looked at Hermione. She was standing by the window near the fireplace, arms folded across her chest. She was trying to look glum, but she couldn't stop the smile that was forming on her lips. "You know I'll hate you for that."

Draco immediately threw the cup on the couch, the symbol of victory neglected at once. _What was I thinking_? Draco thought as he walked towards Hermione. She turned around and gazed at the dark horizon outside instead. She didn't want him to see she was eager for his touch. 

"Deal with it, Granger," she heard his deep smooth voice drawl at her. Eventually she saw Draco's reflection beside hers on the window glass, smirking softly. His pale gray eyes flickered in the night, and Hermione could easily mistake them for two distant moons instead of one in the starless sky.

"So where's your trophy?" she asked as she raised her eyebrow at Draco's reflection. 

"Right here," he said and he slid his two arms around her waist, holding her like some treasure he had found and never wanted to let go. 

She leaned back and closed her eyes, feeling Draco's silver hair as he bent down and rested his chin on her shoulders. Wrapped around Draco's arms, she didn't want to believe if any of this was real. She only wanted to _feel_. 

Meanwhile, Draco was lost in his own thoughts. Has it been this long, or am I just still not used to her touch? He knew he had spent recent nights practicing Quidditch with his team, and hanging out with Blaise, but she was at the library all the time, and he hardly saw her at their Common Room. He looked at the glass to see the reflection of his expressionless face stare back at him, while Hermione kept her eyes closed, a smile escaping from her lips.

"I've missed you," she whispered, and he held her closer still.

*           *           *           

_Hush my dears and leave them alone_

_The night is young and theirs to own_

_Speak softly, my pets, and leave them be_

_Let the world turn with Draco and Hermione_

_Such a pity it is to see_

Two lovers spring from mortal enemies 

_What the gods and goddesses plan_

_To you I shall tell, best as I can_

_Everything ends and everything starts_

_Ours shall begin at a place called Hogwarts_

_The Dark Lord has fallen, our hero, prevailed_

_And yet his true happiness lies hidden, unveiled_

Just tell her Potter… I can't tell her that I love her… Idiot. Idiot. Idiot

_For what he desires most, he cannot have_

_And stay as he is, wounded and sad_

_Forever this will be, Potter living a lie_

_Until a fiery damsel brings him back to life_

Oh, Ginny… I thought you were already over Harry?"

"I thought so too, Ron."

_However, be warned, for a traitor is close by_

_Believing one shall pay and another shall die_

_His identity, I'm afraid, is yet to be known_

_(So you can read more of my fiction!)_

_Two different worlds, two different bloods_

_Unaware, at all, of the change they have done_

_Neither is in Gryffindor nor in Slytherin anymore_

_For only in their hearts do they truly belong_

_Young Master Malfoy, cunning as he is_

_Is blinded by pride of what his heart sees_

_Dear, sweet Hermione, though wise she may be_

_Keeps searching for the answer when she's right in front of it_

"Who do you think you are, trying to get me under your spell? You're nothing to me…"

"Why am I feeling this way? Why do I think about him every night?"

_But a greater event is yet to happen_

_A thousand year old war, put to an end_

_The Lioness and the Serpent shall bring forth bliss_

_Sealed only by genuine, true love's kiss_

_So as the chapters are yet to unfold_

_Hogwarts is at bay by two brave Gryffindors_

_Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil_

_Not knowing the prophecy they are helping to fulfill._

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Malfoy and Granger…"

"It can't be..."

"Plus, he saved her life…"

"Fought for her…"

"Does she know?"

"No…"

"Tell any soul except theirs…"

_Try as they might to keep their sacred vows_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry soon found out_

_Though some were interested and others, malicious_

_Only Malfoy and the Trio were oblivious_

_As for those who remembered the prophecy_

_Many made plans, especially the faculty_

_Though Snape was the first to do something about the two_

Everyone else, I believe, were to follow suit 

"Detention! Both of you! There! A little Treat from me to you…"

"Time flies… Ms. Granger must not have taken a look from her watch… It's almost midnight…"

*           *           *

Hermione opened her eyes and stared at the glass window, only to find Draco gazing back at her. She smiled weakly at him before realizing a white cotton fluff fall from the sky. "Merlin, the first snow…" She gasped, still wrapped around Malfoy's arms. "Christmas break," she grinned softly. "Come, let's go to bed. It's getting late… Malfoy? You can let go of me now…"

But Draco bent his head, and held Hermione tighter. His hair had fallen over his eyes and all she could see were shadows on his face. 

"Never."

*           *           *  
  


_Hush my friends, and let them hold each other_

_Help them make the moment last forever_

_In the end, it shall be Draco and Hermione_

_For I am the Sorting Hat, and what I say will be. _

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^~*^~*~^*~^*~^*~^*

A/N: The fun is just beginning people…Or so I planned. The traitor is yet to be identified, a new war will still emerge, and Draco and Hermione aren't exactly together yet. 

I'd like to thank you guys for reading my fic. This is really a big thing for me. You see, a lot of things have been happening to me, some of them really devastating, and I didn't know if I could last any longer. But then I wrote this fiction, and the more reviewers I had telling me to update soon, the more reason I found in the world to not end my life just yet. Yes, suicide. Draco and Hermione is the only thing that makes me feel alive. 

However, certain things must be taken into action and I will not put off my decision to leave this world anymore. I don't know if I will still be alive, because I'm planning to do it in the weekend. That's why I've already uploaded all my advance chapters But If I will be, still alive that is, I promise to make this fic on of the greatest in all fandom, as my wish would be.

Each and everyone of you have really made an impact on my life. And I thank you for that. 

Yours,

**~*^Ceres Vesta^*~**


	10. A Dragon's Departure

Guess What. I'm back. Enjoy. Thanks to **Barbara Dunn** for telling go on with this chapter. Please, this isn't really long. It's just the A/N. Don't want to bore you, now.****

**Chapter Ten**

**~A Dragon's Departure~**

The snow had begun to fall from the starless night sky and she clutched herself tighter. The fireplace from the center of the wall was not doing much to the winter chill that had found its way in the circular room. Then again, nothing could melt away the icy feeling that was creeping up her neck. Not after hearing the terrible event that was about to happen. 

"Are you sure about this, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked shakily, peering into those aged blue eyes behind the half-moon spectacles of the owner. 

"I am quite certain, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore replied, locking his fingers together in deep thought. He had remained very still after hearing the Sorting Hat's song, and his brows still met as he pondered on what lay ahead for his students. "This is their war, after all, and I'm afraid they'll have to fight this for themselves."

*           *           *

_Tap, tap, tap._

Draco Malfoy woke up from his sleep and lazily brought his arm to the other side of his bed, expecting Hermione sleeping soundly beside him. But she wasn't there. He sharply turned his head, only to find green and silver pillows snickering back at him. 

_Of course_, Draco thought, smiling to himself. _It was just a dream_. As all other dreams that seemed real to him.

After standing by the window holding Hermione in his arms for Merlin knows how long, he brought her to her room where he watched her fall asleep. Only then did he come inside his own room and went into deep slumber. He had never made love to Hermione, only in his dreams, but it was clear his mind and body wanted to so much. He would have loved to finish off what they had started n the couch six chapters ago (_A/N: for lack of time modifiers, hehe_). 

_Tap, tap, tap. _

Draco groaned and irritatingly got out of his bed upon hearing the ridiculous tapping. He stood on his feet and grabbed the robe by his bed since he was wearing nothing but his dark flannel pants and it was getting chilly. He opened the window by his bed. "Brisbane?"

A large black eagle-owl with a pair of massive wings entered, just as an icy gush of wind blew inside the room. Draco immediately shut the windows again as the owl perched on the foot of Malfoy's bed with a dignified look on its face. A letter was rolled and tied to one of its claws along with a tiny white box. 

Draco smirked as he reached out for the letter. "Have you got my mother's reply?" But he immediately snatched his hand away before Brisbane almost bit it off.

"Damn it!" he cursed. "Why can't you just be a normal owl?" said Draco as he walked towards the bathroom and filled a glass he had gotten from his bedside table with tap water.

"Here!" But Brisbane only looked at it. Draco could have sworn it raised an eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "_Accio Perrier_!" he drawled and a bottle of expensive wizard water flew to his hand from the Ice Cabinet muggles refer to as refrigerator. "_Evanseco_," he chanted as the tap water disappeared from the glass and poured the Perrier instead. He gave it to Brisbane, who drank from it with a satisfied look on its face.

"Arrogant, feathery little bastard," Draco muttered as he finally took the letter and box from his eagle owl.

_Dear Draco,_

_Congratulations on winning the Quidditch House Cup. I couldn't have been more proud of you, son. Your friend, Blaise, was kind enough to send me a picture one of your schoolmates took that day. "_Must be talking about that Creevey fellow," Draco said to himself_. But I am not quite sure if it was given to him, or stolen by him._

_I'd advice you to keep a closer watch on Brisbane. He's becoming more and more like you. "_Tell me about it_." He didn't want to give me the letter you sent until I fed him the chocolates I bought from Paris last week. _

On another note, I am asking, no, ordering you to come back to the Manor for the holidays. It wouldn't be too nice of you to leave your mother alone when Christmas comes, wouldn't it? Besides, Mr. Steelbrow, head of the Department of Wizard Heritage and Legacy at the Ministry of Magic needs you personally. Seems to me there are still problems about the inheritance you're going to get from your father. It's going to take a lot of time so I'm guessing you'll have to be stuck here in the Manor for the Holidays. I made the owl bring along my pearl earring, it's inside the white box. It's serves as a portkey, and I shall be expecting you at the front door of the Mansion at noon. Today. 

_With love, _

_Your Mother_

Draco folded the piece of parchment and glance at the white box he was holding on his other hand. _Damn it_, he cursed.

*           *           *

Hermione Granger roused from her sleep earlier than Draco did. After getting a brisk warm shower, she peered into Draco's room to see if he was already awake. But he was still lying there on his bed, with a faint smile on his face. He looked so much like an angel asleep, she didn't want to wake him up from whatever dream he was having. 

It was already their Holiday Vacation, five days before Christmas itself, and almost all of the students have gone away for their vacations. As expected, only the seventh years stayed at the castle, wanting to spend the remaining months of their school life inside Hogwarts. It was still a little early to wake up, and only more than a handful of students were eating breakfast at the Great Hall. Hermione smiled as she saw her two best friends eating their English muffins and playing Wizard chess on the Gryffindor table. 

"Hey guys!" Hermione greeted them as she sat down beside Harry and munched on a piece of toast. "So what are we going to do today?"

Harry raised his eyebrows at her. "Well, you're in a good mood—hey! You're cheating Ron!" exclaimed Harry as he looked back at the chessboard.

"I wasn't!" said Ron, turning red. "I told you I was only kidding, Your Highness," Ron told his queen.

"Well, my apologies, I didn't hear you say the word _joke_," the queen retorted.

"Hermione, is something the matter with you?" Harry eyed his friend cautiously. 

"Huh?"

"You look, different… I mean, what's that term girls use again?" Harry asked Ron. "You're… prettier, or, something… like, more beautiful…"

Ron turned around to look at his friend. She was sporting a big smile on her face, like she had passed all exams of the school. "Bloody hell, Hermione, you're blooming!" Ron teased, playing with Hermione's brown locks. 

"I am _not_, Ron," Hermione frowned as her ears suddenly turned pink. 

"She's not blooming! She's _in love_!" Lavender Brown suddenly chipped in, over at the other end of the table. 

"Shut up Lav! Mind your own business!" Parvati snapped at her friend, and gave the Trio a sheepish grin. "I'm really sorry. Do go on." Then the two pretended to be really interested in the jar of marmalade in front of them. 

Harry frowned at the two girls. "You know, you'd think spending time with Trelawney would be dangerous when you're looking at those two." 

Hermione laughed. "Come on, you guys. Let's go outside."

"But Hermione! It's freezing out there!" Ron complained.

"All the more reason to make you feel alive!"

"Fine," Ron gave up. Neither he nor Harry could ever say no to Hermione.

*           *           *  
  


The sun was shining brightly above them and spread its warmth on the grounds, but the snow remained obstinate. It was everywhere, resting on the barren trees, on the surface where their feet touched the ground, and it only made the castle white with beautiful perfection.

Harry and Ron were on either side Hermione, and all three of them were walking outside. Hermione's nose was becoming pink at the tip, but she didn't care. The wind was blowing softly, the world was smiling at her, and she felt that nothing could go wrong. 

"What kind of a woman are you, taking joy in freezing our asses off?" she heard Ron's sarcastic voice fill the air. She turned around and faced her two friends. 

"Look Ron, Harry," she began, taking a deep breath and letting it all out. "There's something that I've been meaning to tell you for a long time now…"

They looked at each other. "Hermione, stop. You don't have to tell us anything," Harry raised his palm up.

"We kinda knew already," Ron agreed. 

"But I still have to explain everything," she persisted. Hermione's eyes darted around the trees, searching for somewhere to begin. "It all happened start of the term, we used to just stare at each other all the time…" And Hermione told them both exactly what happened between her and Draco, how her feelings had developed, how she had denied to it to herself and realizing she knew all along, and how everything added up to each other. "Maybe if you just spent time with him you'd realize the person I'm talking about, the Draco Malfoy I'm in love with—"

"And not the Draco Malfoy who kept calling you a mudblood, who threatened Harry more than a dozen times and almost made my family bankrupt," Ron finished for her. 

Hermione shook her head. "Look, I'm just asking you to give him a chance… For my sake." she looked at Harry who was staring back at her. 

"Are you in love with him, Hermione?" She slowly nodded her head. 

"Are you happy with him?" 

"Yes! That's why I'm trying to—"

"You have nothing to worry about then," Harry said, stepping forward and poking Hermione's nose and giving her a soft smile. "Didn't we promise we'd never fight about anything no matter what?"

Almost immediately her eyes were welling up with tears. She knew her friends would understand, but why did she feel like she didn't deserve this kindness, like she was too lucky or too fortunate to have them as friends?

"Hey, Hermione…" Ron soothed his friend. "You're not gonna cry again, are you? I hate it when that happens…"

Hermione could only laugh. "I know, Ron," she choked back a sob. She hated it too. When did she become so weak? _When I fell in love with Malfoy, that's when_.

"Harry's right," Ron patted her head while Harry stroked her back. "Maybe we've been holding our grudges far too long. It's just that we can forgive, but we can never forget."

"But if he ever tries to hurt you, _in any way at all,"_ Harry whispered, looking straight into Hermione's eyes. "You know we're gonna kill him for that. Right?"

She turned to look from one friend to another and knew that they were both dead serious.

_"So which one of you is gonna fuck her from behind?"_

Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly spun around and found Damien Bagerbath, Puchnik, Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise Zabini behind them, lazily hanging around the rock formations on the ground. 

Damien was smirking at them as he walked forward. "It's funny, you think a girl would be sexed out when Potter and Weasley are already fucking her, but then she goes out wanting for…" He raised his eyebrow at them. "A b_etter_ blood, I suppose…"

Harry stepped in front of Hermione, shielding her from the Slytherins. "You stay the hell away from her Damien, and watch what you fuckin say in front of us," he glared behind his glasses. 

It was Puchnik's turn to laugh crudely. "Are making threats all of what the powerful Harry Potter's capable of? After losing the House Cup, you've lost your touch as well."

"Still gloating about winning, Puchnik?" Ron snorted. "Then again I'd expect that for someone who hasn't won anything at all."

Hermione was forcefully tugging the robes of her friends. "Come _on_, let's just go. They're not worth it," she pleaded to Harry and Ron.

It was only then that Blaise stood up from the rock he was sitting on, and lazily walked to the Golden Trio. "The little mudblood's right, Potter," he drawled as he ran a hand through his raven hair. They were almost the same height, and their eyes were leveled to each other. "Just go. Walk away."

Harry took a step forward, standing only a foot away from Blaise. "You've been keeping a lot of secrets Zabini, I can tell. And I'm gonna figure them all out."

A cold sneer formed on Zabini's lips. "I'd like to see you try," he drawled at him. "Our patience is growing shorter by the second, Potter… You wouldn't want another war, would you?"

_"What's going on here?"_

Before Harry could say anything about Zabini's remark, Draco walked towards them, his black robes flowing in his direction. His brows were furrowed together and they could see the air blowing out of his nostrils. His dark green scarf covered his neck, and his face was still pale, which should have been colored by the cold. "What's happening?" he repeated, looking at Blaise and Harry and back again. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"Nothing, Malfoy," Blaise told him, stepping away from Harry. "We were just, talking, weren't we, Potter?" His eyes remained glued to Harry's. 

Harry kept glowering at him. "Yeah. Just talking. Nothing more," he said, ignoring Ron's look of disbelief. 

"Come on, let's get inside," Blaise told the others as he turned around and walked towards the castle, not waiting for Damien and the others to follow him. Eventually they did, and Malfoy was left with the Trio in the cold morning air. 

"What was _that_ about?" Malfoy asked when the lot had left.

"You'd better keep a leash on your dogs, Malfoy," Ron told him bitterly. "Especially that Zabini fellow."

Draco bent his head to look at Hermione. "What's he talking about?"

"I don't know," she shook her head. "We were just walking here when they came to us… and—"

"You think you know your friends Malfoy, but you don't," Harry quickly told him. Draco was a little taller than he was, so he had to tilt his head a bit. "I've seen you hang around with Zabini and he's not to be trusted."

Malfoy scowled at him. "Who are you to tell me who I should and shouldn't trust—"

"Draco, please," Hermione held him back, resting her hand on Draco's arm. Malfoy inhaled deeply and contained himself.

"You've got nothing to worry about Zabini," he told them. "He's a lurker, and he doesn't talk much to the other Slytherins except me. He's… indifferent; doesn't care about anything at all. I'm the closest he's got to a friend." Draco finished, not quite believing the fact that he was having a non-violent conversation with Potter and Weasley.

"Whatever you say, Malfoy," said Harry, still having some doubts. 

"If it's gonna do you any good, Potter," Draco drawled. "I'll tell Hermione if I sense anything wrong, and she'll tell it to you, alright?" 

"Yeah, you'd better," Harry nodded his head. "Come on Ron. We'll be up in the Common Room if you need us, Hermione." 

Hermione squeezed Harry's hand. "Okay," she said, as both her friends waved goodbye at her. Ron was making a gesture with his finger slicing his throat at Malfoy before he turned around and caught up with Harry.

"Yeah, I'll see you around too, Weasley!" Draco called after him sarcastically. Hermione laughed as he wrapped his arms around her body, snuggling to get to Draco's warmth in the freezing air.

"Alone at last," Draco whispered as he tucked a lock of hair behind Hermione's ears. "You know, I had a dream about you last night," he said, tracing the outline of her face with his finger.

"Really?" Hermione replied, looking up at him. "What was it about?"

He brushed away the snow that had fallen on top of her head. Draco knew better than to say his dream was about her writhing in pleasurable pain underneath his body. He didn't want to spoil the moment. "You," he said simply, before leaning down on her and meeting her lips with a passionate kiss.

The snow could have melted under her feet, a huge polar bear could have sprouted from the ground, but Hermione didn't care. She opened her mouth and received Draco's velvet tongue, moaning against him as it probed into her, exploring all the corners of her sweet mouth. She brought her hands around his neck and pulled him closer still, closing the non-existent gap between them. 

Draco pulled away from her after a moment, needing oxygen inside his body. Not that it was the only thing that made him alive. Then he kissed her once more. "Come on, let's go back to the Head Room. There's something you should know."

Hermione smiled at him. "Okay," she said, and they went back to the castle hand in hand.

*           *           *  
  


"Fine. Go. Leave. I don't care."

They were back at the Head Room, and Malfoy had already packed his stuff. It was already half an hour before it was noon, and Draco figured he'd eat his lunch back at the manor. He was walking back and forth, his room, checking if he hasn't forgotten anything. Hermione meanwhile was sitting on the couch, her arms crossed beneath her breasts, looking like a little child who suddenly found out that Christmas has been canceled. Come to think of it, it has, for her.

"Look, Hermione, I didn't want this to happen. But my mother—"

"Yes, I know, your mother needs you. I understand." She rubbed the head of Brisbane who was perched beside her on the couch, and surprisingly let Hermione touch him.

"Careful! He doesn't like other people that much…" Draco stopped when he saw Brisbane enjoying her touch. "That's funny." 

"Look, I have to go," Draco explained for the fifth time. "The Ministry's making sure there isn't any Dark Arts left in the artifacts my father left for me, as well as the fortune hidden in Gringotts, and the only way they could do it is for me to go there and pledge allegiance or something…" But Hermione only looked at him, not entirely listening. 

Suddenly Draco knelt before her, holding her hands in his. "This is hard for me too, you know," he said gently, smirking softly at her. "Don't be stubborn—"

"I'm not stubborn—"

"You _are_ stubborn, Hermione—"

"Okay, maybe I am," she sighed, rolling her eyes at him. "I was… I was just hoping I could spend Christmas with you…" Her voice came to a whisper as she cupped her face with Draco's hands. 

"Listen. I'll talk to my mother and see if I can be here in time for you to open my gift, okay?" Malfoy rubbed away the single tear that was coming down Hermione's cheek. 

"Malfoy! Open up! It's me!" 

Someone was knocking on their door, and Draco got up from his knees and opened the lock. Hermione turned around to see who it was. Her stomach suddenly did a dive as Blaise Zabini stepped into the Head Room.

"Blaise, what are you doing here?" Malfoy asked.

"Hello, Granger," Zabini smirked over at Hermione. She could only stare back at him. 

Blaise snickered and held up a piece of parchment with a fancy handwriting and faced Malfoy. "Your mother sent me a letter as well. Told me to help you with your luggage," he nodded towards the trunks labeled with the initials DM at the front. "It's almost time for you to leave," he said. Was it Hermione's imagination, or was Blaise looking a little too eager?

"You're right," Draco said he walked back towards Hermione. "I bet you already know that no one's allowed to Apparate in the school grounds."

Hermione bit her lip. "So the portkey probably won't work inside here, too, right?"

Draco smiled at her. "Will you walk me outside?"

*           *           *           

Hermione was back to the Winter Chill outside Hogwarts. She was holding Malfoy's hand a little too tightly, but Draco didn't mind. He put his arm around her shoulder, and held her for as long as he was still with her. He knew he wouldn't be stuck in the Manor that long, but it was an entirely different feeling not to see Hermione's smile for a certain amount of time. If he couldn't stand not staring into her chestnut eyes for a day, what more for three weeks?

Meanwhile, Hermione was stealing glances at Blaise over her shoulders. His hair had fallen over his eyes, so she couldn't exactly tell what he was feeling right now. He had charmed the luggage by a Locomotor Charm, and his wand was aimed at the trunks. Hermione automatically felt for her own wand inside her pockets. Get a grip, Granger, you're probably just being paranoid, she told herself. Her hair stood on its end at the back of her neck, and she knew deep inside it wasn't just because it was cold.

She had to tell him. "Don't go, Draco, please," she said in an undertone in Draco's ear. "It's Zabini. There's something about him…"

"Hermione, stop it," Draco rubbed his thumb on her shoulder. "You know I can't stay."

"Look here, Draco," she said a little more urgently. "If you're telling me that he's indifferent about lots of things, how come he just called me a mudblood this morning?"

"What? He doesn't give a fuck about that at all," Malfoy turned his head towards her. "You were probably just imagining it. Expecting it to come out of someone's mouth since you were having a row with a Slytherin." 

They stopped a good couple of hundred feet away from the Hogwarts Castle, and the wind slightly howled. "You could drop the luggage, Blaise, we're here," Draco called out to his friend, who nodded and brought the trunk to the ground. Draco then took out the small white box and opened it, where a single pearl earring adorned with gold and silver resting inside it. 

"Draco, please, listen to me," Hermione's heart was beating furiously inside her chest. Malfoy leaned out and lifted her chin up, and stared deeply into her eyes. 

"Look. If you're really worried, Brisbane will be there if you need me. Seems shocking that he likes you, when he doesn't even like _me_," he cupped her face with his hands, giving her a reassuring smirk. "I'll be back before you know it." He cocked his head to look at Blaise. "Walk her back to the Head Room and help her get her stuff. She'll be sleeping with the Gryffindors with her friends." 

Zabini nodded as Draco turned to look at Hermione again. "I don't want you alone, Granger."

"And I don't want you to leave, Malfoy!" Hermione screamed at him before wrapping her arms around his neck. She couldn't contain herself. Something was definitely going to happen and she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all. "Please, don't go… Please…"

Draco didn't just yet. He held her by her waist, cherishing this last few moments with her. He ignored the voice deep within him, telling him to listen to Hermione. He knew she could be taking things too seriously, and her mind was pretty strong. He trusted Blaise Zabini with his life, he was like a brother to him, and he was sure that whatever the reason why Hermione's so afraid of him, she was only imagining it. 

He bent his head to capture Hermione's lips one more time, savoring the taste of raspberries in his mouth. He kissed her eyes, her brows, her, nose, her cheek, and kissed her once more on the lips. "Are you mine, Granger?" Draco whispered to her as he buried himself in Hermione's curls, inhaling her scent for the last time before he would see her again. 

"Yes, Malfoy, I'm yours," Hermione replied, gripping him tighter than ever.

"Then you'd better step back," he said as he gently pushed Hermione beside Blaise, who was smirking at Malfoy.

"You'd better get going Malfoy, you're mother will be furious with you," he said to him.

Draco nodded. "You take care of her while I'm away," he told Blaise but stared at Hermione, wishing more than ever to stop time. "Don't let her get away from your sight."  He took the pearl earring from the box and held it in his hand. There was a moment before Draco disappeared into thin air, but not before he smiled at her and said, "I'll miss you, _Hermione_." Then he was gone.

She could only take a deep breath. When Draco left, either she was so in love with him that her heart started to beat a hundred times per second, or her instinct had just said: "You're in for it, dearie."

*           *           *

Over at the Hogwarts Castle, high up on one of the towers, Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore stood by the window, watching as the scenes unfolded between the Head Boy and the Head Girl. 

"What do you think Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked as her eyes laid rest on Hermione and Blaise's form down by the school grounds. 

Professor Dumbledore looked at the Deputy Headmistress. "I think, Minerva, that the war has only begun."

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

**A/N**: First of all I am deeply sorry if I offended anyone of you, or scared you at all. I was serious about what I said in the previous chapters, but my friends over here talked to me as well as to my parents, and we've all sorted it out. My father was thinking of talking to a doctor, but I didn't think it was necessary. I wanted to thank you all individually, if it's okay with you. You guys are really something… I truly appreciate everything you have done for me. **Draco and Hermione Forever.**

**Brisbane** is a city in Australia, I got it from my big sister. Thanks **Ate Nadia**! We don't have Winter here in the Philippines, so I apologize if I don't talk about the snow much. 

Thank you so much to my reviewers!!! I wouldn't be complete without you!! I'm sorry if your name doesn't appear hear, I just said thanks to those who reviewed after I uploaded the ninth chapter.. Sorry!! But you guys mean everything to me!! You know that!!! Hi **LunathwenElvenwood! Thanks!**

**ALENCHIC**: I meant it, but I reconsidered. Thanks so much.

**NAMI1**: Thank you so much for your kind words. I keep looking out for you.

**DRACO** **GIRL**: We're already friends, aren't we? It's good to know this fic reminds you of you.

**HARRYORDRACOS** **GAL**: Hm, is Blaise good or bad? He's definitely bad, but deliciously good. How's that? Lol

**RANDOM** **CHICK**: Glad you like it! Thank you so much!!

**ANYONE**: *Humbly receives the 100 points. Thanks! 

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**DANIELLE**: Thanks so much, Danielle. I'm okay now, thanks for your concern. 

**MUSIKLOVER**: Thanks for those words of advice, even though I have to agree that we don't know each other. But I can tell you love music, I do to, so that's a start, right?

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**FORTOMIWILL**: It is really hard to realize that Draco is just a fictional character. But we've got Tom and that's as close as we can get. LOL

**FREDAND** **GEARGEWEASLEY** **ARE** **GODS**: I quite agree. LOL. The bad hasn't won. Thank you so much.

**SOMEONE** **WHO** **IS** **CONCERNED**: Thanks for telling me suicide is a cliché… I guess. But I appreciate you telling me to reconsider. Thank you.

**SVETLAELLA**: I keep a look out on you too. Thanks for everything.

**BWR**: Thank you for enjoying this fanfiction. Appreciate it. Really do.

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**SATANIC**-**PURPLE**-**ONION**: Tell me more about this name. This is so cool. I love the Sorting Hat's song too. It just hit me in the head.

**JESSE**: I honestly thought you were an angel or something. Thank you for giving me this new confidence. Your message meant a lot to me.

**DRAGONLOVER**: I loved the ending as well. Thank you for liking it.

**OTTAWAN** **ANGEL**: Well, it was R for violence… sorry about that. I'll try to make it a bit more wholesome this time, just wanted to have action. Thanks!

**RID**: Thank you so much for taking pleasure in my fic! Did you get my email?

**NOVEMBER** RAIN: I'm really so sorry for your brother. I was too selfish about myself, and I want to apologize if I offended you in any way at all. Thanks for the advice. 

**IMPERMISSUS** **ADAMO**: In the house! This is so cool. Thanks for reading my fic.

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**MESMER:** I love the song as well, but I used other songs to inspire me now for the latest chapters… thanks!

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**LAUREN**: Thank you for thinking that way! Take care always!

**AKU**-**NEKO**: I loved Lav and Pav as well, although I think other people might be playing out their roles this time… *wink wink

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**PADFOOTSKNIGHTINGALE**: The Sorting hat was pretty cool. Thanks so much for reading!

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**HONEYBEE1**: Okay, you are an ultimate head-blow-upper! You were too kind! There isn't any sequel dearie, I believe the previous chapters were only the beginning. LOL

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**HOTARU420**: I updated! Thank you for waiting! Take care!!

**HAMSTER** **HUEY**: Nope, I wasn't kidding. I realized that it would kill me, and no, it isn't part of any plot. I'm alright now, but thanks for sticking with my story. Thanks!

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**RACHEL** **JA'NEA** **MORTON**: Thanks so much for believing in this fic. I'm really sorry if you did the same thing, and I'm glad we both got through it. Thank you.


	11. Prelude to A War, PART I

Kamusta? (that's Filipino for How are you?) You guys are wonderful!! Thanks for reviewing!!! Word of advice: **When life gets shitty, write Draco and Hermione**. Trust me, I'm living proof of it. Changed Parvati's hair to black now! And um, please don't mind the length of the chapter. I tried to give answers. My deepest apologies to **Alexa**, for leaving you hanging like that in the previous chapter! Read the A/N afterwards!! Hope you like it…  PINOY PRIDE!****

Chapter Eleven 

**~Prelude to A War~**

PART ONE 

They made their way back to the castle in silence, and the suspense was killing Hermione. She was jumpy the rest of the trip back, flinching whenever either one of them stepped on a fallen twig, half expecting Blaise Zabini to tear his face away like a mask and morph into Voldemort's long lost brother seeking for revenge. But Hermione knew she was being crazy, and Blaise never made a move. He kept his hand inside his pockets and his head bent, whatever emotion in his eyes hidden by his hair. Immediately the castle's warmth enveloped them the moment they were inside.

Hermione climbed up the stairs leading to the Head Room and Blaise was close behind. They finally reached the portrait of the Two Lovers and the door swung open to receive both of them, after she whispered the password, barely audible. 

"Get you things. Malfoy told me to help you with your stuff," Blaise suddenly spoke roughly as he roamed around the receiving area. "I'll wait here."

She could only nod her head as she made her way to her room, took off her robes and hastily packed whatever piece of wardrobe she could get her hands on. _Okay. First thing's first. Talk to Harry and Ron; tell them Zabini is definitely off. Send a note to Draco, tell him to come back. Gotta find Brisbane so I could—hang on_. She didn't recall a conceited eagle owl flying anywhere around the other… She quickly ran out of her room.

"Hey Zabini! Have you see Bris…_bane_…" But Hermione's voice died out as she stepped back to the Common Room. It had become pitch black, and she was all alone. 

The curtains were pulled down, covering any light coming from the window. Only a soft glow was emitted by the fireplace, and it wasn't helping at all. The fire was dancing and cast transient shadows all around the room. 

"Brisbane?" Hermione called out, squinting her eyes in the dark. Silence. She licked her lips nervously and stepped forward. "Zabini?"

_"I'm right here_," he whispered behind her and Hermione screamed. But Blaise was too fast for her. He grabbed both her arms before she could get away and pushed her hard against the wall, pressing his body against hers. 

"Ahh!" Hermione hollered in pain.

"Tsk, tsk. Not a very bright thing to do, Granger," he snarled, bringing his face to hers. "Malfoy _did_ make me promise not to leave you out of my sight."

"Take you hands off me, you bastard," Hermione spat, glaring at those pale blue eyes glowing with evil. "He didn't make you promise anything." _Damn it, my wand… Stall him_. "From how I heard it Zabini, it looked more like _Master_ Malfoy was giving you an order—"

"_Silence_!" Blaise yelled as he slammed himself once more against Hermione. She screamed as her back came in harsh contact with the sharp, ragged edges of the stone wall. Her woolen sweater was probably ripped into shreds by now. 

"Don't throw insults at me because he didn't listen to you," he growled at Hermione who felt his hot breath on her face. "Did you think he'd take a Gryffindor's word for it that there was something wrong with his _best friend_? I heard you back there, Granger. _He didn't_."

Hermione shook her head, not wanting to believe a word that he said. But he was so right. If only Malfoy had listened to her… "Where's Brisbane?" she asked. Her eyes darted around the room, getting themselves used to the dark. "What have you done with him?"

"I beg your pardon? I haven't done anything to Brisbane," he looked innocently at her, blowing softly against her cheek. Hermione twisted her head away. "I believe you've met my pet owl, Grimoire." He gave a low whistle. "Grim! Come here!"

Suddenly a huge black owl flew from Malfoy's room, the same owl she had touched a few moments ago, and perched on top of the couch behind Zabini. It gazed at Hermione with a look on its face that seemed to say "_Sucker_…"

Blaise smirked as he saw her jaw drop open. "Yes, beautiful bird, isn't he?" He continued to stare at her, not bothering to look at Grim. "Rather intelligent too. I didn't have to say '_Intercept Narcissa Malfoy's bird and kill it'_, twice." He sniggered at Hermione and tucked a lose strand of her hair behind her ear. "I bought this from Diagon Alley for that special purpose. The real Brisbane is probably at the Malfoy Manor, munching on some 24-Galleon can of worms. Draco was too thick to notice it."

Hermione gasped as Zabini's finger touched her ear. It felt cold as ice. Who was this person in front of her? He was definitely different from the Draco's friend she used to know. _Think Hermione, think_. She tried to move but Blaise was too strong for her, and kept her trapped. 

"Thick as Malfoy was though," he slowly traced his finger down to the side of her neck. "He was certainly crazy about you." He easily raised Hermione higher against the wall and his pale blue eyes came in perfect level with her supple breasts. "I can understand why."

"Get off me!" Hermione yelled, struggling to get free as his hands suddenly grabbed her breasts.

"Go ahead, Granger, _scream for me_," Blaise growled as he rubbed his arousal against her. Hermione had to hook her legs around his back to keep herself from falling.

"_Oh yeah…"_ She heard Blaise moan as she tried to stop herself from doing the same thing. She needed to concentrate, but depriving her body of this kind of pleasure was making her dizzy… _Those eyes_… It reminded her so much of….

"Why are you doing this to him?" she managed to whisper as Zabini brought his hands inside her sweater and underneath her bra, pulling and tugging. She kept looking around the room, anything to stop her body from submitting to its will. She couldn't understand what Blaise said in response, only the words "…_after the Great War_…" 

Hermione's eyes grew wide open when she noticed an outline of a bushy tail soundlessly moving among the shadows. She could only thank the heavens for that. _Crookshanks_, she breathed.

"Oh, now I know why Malfoy wanted to _shag you senseless_…" Blaise drawled as he released one of his hands from her breasts and pulled his zipper down.

But Hermione only needed those few seconds to grab her wand from her pockets and for Crookshanks to jump at Zabini and scratched its claws across his face. She fell on the floor as Blaise clutched his face, screaming. "STUPEFY!" Grimoire screeched loudly as Blaise got thrown across the room, knocking Hermione's study table over. 

"GO!" She hurriedly got to her feet and grabbed Crookshanks, sprinting towards the exit of the Head Room, leaving Blaise Zabini unconscious. For the meantime.

*          *          *

The snow falling on her head, her brown eyes twinkling at him, her chestnut hair softly blowing against the wind. All these added up to make her look like an angel on earth. An angel he had foolishly left back at Hogwarts. For what? To take care of a mother who can already take care of herself? To make sure his father's inheritance was secured to him? 

He had been scared, no, frightened to say her name. Scared because of what will happen in the future, frightened of the consequence of this confession. But he had said it. _And it felt perfect_. Oh he definitely knew he was in love with her. He was sure of that. His mind, heart and soul agreed with it completely. He needed her, during the day when he felt weak and helpless, and at night, when he felt so alone. He had fallen for her, but did he love her?

His whole reason for living faded in the mist as total darkness enveloped him, and the world started to spin. But Draco was used to travel via Portkeys, and he squeezed his eyes shut, locking the image of Hermione inside his mind. A second later, he opened his eyes, and a beautiful woman dressed in white, with her silver-blonde hair cascading down her back greeted him with open arms.

"Draco, darling, what took you so long?" With her pale complexion and the superior aura around her, she looked like she was the Winter Queen, and all the snow around them was her doing. 

His mouth curved into a smirk, hiding his joy in seeing her again. He went up the steps leading to her as four house-elves came and began to drag the heavy luggage inside the Malfoy Mansion. He bent down and gently kissed her cheek.

"It's good to see you again, mother."

*          *          *

"Okay. What do we know about Blaise Zabini?"

Harry and Ron had just gotten up to their dormitory after a hearty lunch by themselves. Hermione was nowhere to be seen, figured she was probably with Malfoy, and they didn't want to imagine what they must be doing right now. Dean, Seamus and Neville were playing a game of Exploding Snaps downstairs while the others were enjoying their hot cups of cocoa at the Gryffindor Common Room. 

"Generally? He's that pretty boy in Slytherin who's got a nasty reputation for being Malfoy's best friend," said Ron after biting his Chocolate Frog and flopping down Harry's bed.

"Right," Harry nodded quickly, pacing around the room. "But don't you think it's rather odd for someone to change so quickly for a short period of time?"

Ron swallowed his food. "It's called _puberty_, and I think it happens to everyone—OUCH!" His best friend threw the empty box of Chocolate Frogs at his face. "Okay, you wanna know the truth?" asked Ron, rubbing his nose. "Frankly, Zabini scares the shit out of me. If he did nothing when Malfoy was beaten up, what more to us? I mean, didn't you hear what he told you? '_Wouldn't want to start another war, do you'_?" he said with perfect imitation. "Sounds to me like he was giving you a warning."

Harry stopped in his tracks and stared at his friend. Obviously, Ron was unaware of what his words meant. "You know, Zabini used to be everywhere… he used to have other friends… Now it's like, he pushed himself away…" He rubbed his glasses on his shirt and put them back on again. "Come to think of it, all these happened after the Great—"

But he was cut short as Hermione suddenly appeared in their dormitory, clutching Crookshanks in her arms, her face smeared with continuous tears flowing from her eyes. 

"Hermione?" Ron asked curiously as she let go of Crookshanks and sprinted towards Harry.

He caught her in his arms as she began to sob uncontrollably on his sweater. "Hey… Hey… What's wrong?" he asked as he dragged her to his bed. Ron pulled the curtains so they could be alone in that little place but gasped when he saw the tiny spots of blood behind Hermione's white woolen sweater. 

"Hermione, what happened to your back?" Ron asked, alarmed. But Hermione violently shook her head. She was so breathless for crying and running at the same time it felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. 

"Calm down, tell us what happened," Harry tried to say soothingly but couldn't help the rush of anger surging up his body. 

"H-he almost… tried… attack…me…"

Ron looked like he was ready to hex the first person to come inside the dorm. "Who was it? Who did this to you?" Harry raised his voice, trying to suppress the rage inside. "Was it Malfoy?"

Hermione was trembling like crazy. "I-I knew something was wrong…"

"That does it!" Ron yelled, jumping out of the bed. "I am going to _kill_ that fuckin' bastard!"

"No, Ron!" Hermione shouted, pulling him back down. "No…" Both he and Harry looked worriedly at their best friend. She took a deep, long breath and looked at her friends. "Draco's gone… Zabini's up to something."

*          *          *

The Daily Prophet referred to it as The Mansion, and not one wizard or witch did not know about this. It was a beautiful house indeed. It was four stories high, with windows as big as an average person. It had been standing since the first Malfoy came into the world and it had been remodeled and refurnished as the next generation came in line. Lucius Malfoy made sure that it would be the envy of every wizard in Britain, and so he trusted the décor of his home to the most talented designer, none other that Narcissa Malfoy herself. There was a balance of masculinity and femininity, and each room was adorned with the most expensive furniture from all over the world, some new, and some old.  

Though The Mansion was extravagant, impressive and lavishly enhanced, it had other rooms too, other areas that didn't need much galleons to beautify. It was magnificent in its own, dark way, and no one could easily find the doors to these places. The Mansion had its secrets, as well as the people who dwell on it. 

"Nonsense, I will be the one who will work today," Narcissa had said after Draco asked her what Mr. Steelbrow wanted him to do. "You just came here and I want you to rest first. Go to your room, have a walk around the house if you want. I'm just glad you're back." She had given him a quick his on his forehead, and turned around to go to her study, probably signing a contract for a new partnership with Faimstaff and Co., or signing the release of the new Dark Artifacts she had found earlier that day.

And so Draco wandered around the Mansion, looking if her mother had bought new things to add to the splendor of his home. Which shall be his in a few weeks' time, mind you, along with the fortune his father had left for him. It was all a matter of legality. And Draco couldn't wait to share all these with Hermione. 

He gave a low chuckle. _You are definitely into her, Draco_, he thought to himself as he stopped in front of a thick mahogany door, carved with an elaborate design and a letter M hidden amidst it. He raised a long finger and traced the M, slowly curving down as a soft green light glowed from the inside. With a soft click, the door opened.

The Library. Hundreds upon hundreds of books Hermione would have loved to read. _Will you stop it Draco, she's all you ever think about_, a voice in his head told him. He ran a finger through his hair and glanced around him. It was the place to find information, incantations and other dark spells to use, but it was also the place where the self-portraits of his ancestors were kept, hanging on the walls above him. 

"There's my great-great-grandson, a fine lad indeed."

"The makings of a true Malfoy right there."

Draco raised his head at them and gave a small bow before walking towards his favorite section, the Dark Arts. All his ancestors had blonde hair, with some men sporting long bushy beards while some women carried them with curls and ribbons. They returned the courtesy, looking very much like dignified people. All of them gave a small scowl as Draco had today, and it was like looking at the different possibilities of how he would turn out in a few years' time. 

"Oh, the product of all our sweat and blood!"

"Can't get any more pureblooded than him!"

"You've done a fine job, Lucius."

"Yes, but I believe he is yet to make me proud."

Draco suddenly dropped the book he was holding to the floor. His eyes rolled towards the direction of the portrait of his father, the last in line amongst the Malfoys. He was wearing a dark black suit wearing the collars high, and he was holding his snake-tipped cane, where his wand lay hidden. Draco then bent over and reached for the book.

"Stand up boy! I didn't teach you to be clumsy!" Lucius' portrait said in a booming voice. "Malfoys never pick after themselves!"

Draco clenched his fists. _Breathe, Draco, breathe. Don't let him get to you. He's just a painting. Just get out of here. _

"I quite agree with you Lucius there, but come now, don't be too harsh on your son," A man Draco remembered as Uncle Mordred spoke. 

"_Bah_," Lucius grumbled. "He still needs a lot of lessons to learn to be worthy of the name Malfoy."

"TO HELL WITH YOU FATHER!" Draco suddenly screamed at him, as the other portraits jumped in their seats. "Are you deaf? You're the only one in the whole family who thinks I'm a failure!"

"Ooh, drama," Layla Malfoy whispered to the other portrait, who was Draco's grandmother.

But Draco ignored her. "You were never proud with anything that I've done!" He didn't understand why he couldn't keep his composure. Maybe because his father had pushed his buttons again. Or maybe he just had too many irritating relatives around him. "When I got my Hogwarts letter we didn't even celebrate for it! I was sorted into Slytherin, and you could have at least pretended that you were happy about it in your letters!"

Lucius only raised an eyebrow. "Look around you, _son_. It didn't come as a surprise to me anymore," he drawled as Draco looked up to his ancestors, each wearing their Slytherin ring on their right hand. "You would have disgraced me if you got sorted into those pathetic Gryffindors." Some portraits began to snicker about this. 

Draco continued to glare at his father. Gryffindors were pathetic, and stupid. Well, _all except one_. "We've got a different idea on what a disgrace is, father," he spat. "How could you have let Voldemort, a half-breed for Merlin's sake, push you around like a fuckin' puppet!"

"Do not speak of the Dark Lord that way, son!"

"You could have killed him and sat on the throne instead! Lead the Great War and maybe things would have been diff—"

"Ah! Cunning! Very Slytherin indeed!" Uncle Mordred piped up. "The darkness inside of him has awakened from a deep slumber."

Draco stopped in mid-sentence. _No_. He wasn't going to be like them. "As far as I know, father, _you've_ disgrace the Malfoy name."

"Ah, yes," Lucius chuckled softly, his colored blue eyes meeting with his son's gray orbs. "Losing to that damned Potter every year in Quidditch, being second best to that filthy, damned mudblood Gryffindor—"

"Her _name_ is Hermione Granger," Draco gritted his teeth. His heart was pounding inside his chest. "And I deserved to be only second to her in every way."

Lucius gaped at his son as Layla Malfoy clasped her hands on her mouth "He's in love! With a mudblood!" The other portraits gasped. 

Draco gave a guttural laugh. "Grandma's right, Father. I'm in love with her," he smiled at Lucius and raised his eyebrows. "And what are you going to do about it, Father? Step out of your frame and flog me?"

Lucius nostrils were flaring. Nothing had prepared him for sixteen years of having a son and an heir for this. "You ungrateful little son of a—After all I've done for you!" he yelled at him. 

"Yes, Father, after all you've done for me," Draco shook his head. "I still haven't experienced the joy of being a son." He took the book in his hand and made his way to the door. 

"But you don't belong to each other!" Layla Malfoy cried out. 

His father could only stare at him in disbelief. Draco grabbed the handle and stepped outside, but looked at his father one more time. "Oh, I almost forgot. Did you know I was made Head Boy this year, and that I won the House Cup for Slytherin? Then again you wouldn't, would you?" He smirked. "You're already dead." With that, he closed the door with a bang, and the Malfoy Portraits looked at each other. 

Uncle Mordred clicked his tongue. "Teenagers."

*          *          *

The Golden Trio had been sitting on Harry's bed for a long time with the curtains hiding them from the outside world. Harry and Ron tried to comfort Hermione (who told them everything that had happened) while the three of them were making an effort to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"So something must have definitely happened to him after the Great War," Hermione had said, unconsciously twirling the ends of her hair.

"Exactly. Could be traumatized, or something about his past," Harry said, nodding his head in agreement.

"Oh, I should have asked more questions!" Hermione grumbled, punching the soft pillow on the bed. She didn't know why, but she wanted to hex Draco so much. For not listening to her, for letting Blaise touch her, for everything that had gone wrong since he left her here…

"Listen," Harry gently put a hand on Hermione's shoulder and looked at her in the eye. "For what Zabini did to you, you don't have to blame yourself for anything."

"So what are we gonna do now?" asked Ron, leaning back on his hands in the bed.

"First we have to get to Malfoy," Hermione replied automatically. _Go up to him, punch him right across the face. Then after he apologizes for everything, maybe a kiss would—_

"But look at the weather outside!" Ron pointed at a spot on the curtain where the window was. "Neither Hedwig nor Pig will be able to make it back."

Hermione groaned in response. She was running out of options in her mind. This was all Draco's fault. No, his mother. If she didn't ask her one and only son to go back and… wait. _Why should I blame someone for this? Didn't Dumbledore always say… Hang on._

"That's it!" Hermione exclaimed, and Harry and Ron jumped back in surprise.

"You have got to stop scaring us like that!" Ron said, grabbing his heart, but she ignored him.

"Dumbledore! First we go and talk to Dumbledore, see if we can get any information on the Zabinis, and hopefully get this over and done with by tomorrow morning," Hermione grew excited as she got that far-away look on her face, like she always did when she was coming on to something.

"Good thinking, Hermione," Harry smiled and patted her head. "Let's go down to the Great Hall for dinner first and talk to Dumbledore after that."

Hermione nodded. She had just remembered that she hadn't eaten anything since… well, since _he_ left. 

"Dinner! How could I have forgotten?" Ron exclaimed, jumping out of the bed and glancing at his watch. "Come on! It already started twenty minutes ago!"

*          *          *

And so they made their way to the Great Hall, with Hermione frowning in deep thought. Harry had put a protective arm around her and was looking sharply ahead while Ron was bringing up the rear, searching for any signs of Zabini, or Malfoy for that matter. He always loved that muggle saying "hitting two birds with one stone." But nothing had prepared them for what they would see once they entered the great old oak doors.

Not one teacher was sitting at the Faculty Table of the Great Hall. Even Mr. Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris was nowhere to be seen. The Slytherins were seated on the table, with the food pushed aside. The house cup was in their possession again and Damien and the others were boasting about it to their housemates. Zabini was not with them at all. The Hufflepuffs were busy talking loudly and animatedly to each other, drowning any kind of conversation with their heartwarming laughter. The Ravenclaws on the other hand were huddled close together, eating their turkey and mashed potatoes and finishing the rest of this year's homework. The Golden Trio went to the left side of the Hall towards the Gryffindor Table with confused looks on their faces.

"Oh Neville! How could you have lost your school robes?" Seamus Finnegan was yelling.

"I don't know!" Neville shouted back. "I hanged it on my cabinet yesterday but it was gone when I checked it this afternoon!" he finished with a squeak.

Seamus laughed and patted him at the back. "It's alright mate. I'll help you look for it later."

Harry, Ron and Hermione took their seats when Lavender and Parvati suddenly sat across from them.

"Oh Hermione! Thank God you came down already!" Parvati flipped her black hair over her shoulders. "Me and Lav were beginning to think you weren't going to fulfill your Head Girl duties…"

The three of them looked at each other. Harry spoke first. "What are you talking about? Where are the teachers?" he nodded his head towards the empty faculty table.

"Oh we forgot! You guys weren't here when Dumbledore spoke to all of us," Parvati slapped her forehead. "Honestly, no one ever listens to him except you, Hermione." She and Lavender fell into fits of giggles. Ron looked like he was ready to barf.

"The whole faculty had to leave for an urgent meeting or something," Lavender tried to explain, her forehead frowning. "A special practicum for the European League of Wizarding Schools in Bulgaria… Or was it Romania?" She turned to look at her friend who only shrugged. "Won't be back till after Christmas, the lot."

"McGonagall was rather teary-eyed about it, kept blowing her nose—"

"Snape gave the Trophy back to the Slytherins for safekeeping—"

"The ugly git." Lav and Pav said in unison. They laughed a high-pitched laughter once more.

Hermione clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. _Tell me this isn't true_, she thought to herself. _Just fuckin tell me_. But Parvati nodded her head. "Professor Dumbledore said that the Head Boy and Head Girl will be in charge until they come back. So that means you and Malfoy, Hermione!"

The Head Girl's heart began to beat rapidly. _Why where things getting worse by the minute?_

"But Malfoy's not here," said Ron, who was beside her. "His mother needed him at their house."

"You mean Malfoy's gone?" squeaked Lavender, flinching at Harry's arm around Hermione's shoulders which he had not taken off.

"So are you telling me that it's just us?" Harry concluded, staring that the two girls. "The whole seventh years in Hogwarts for the Holidays?"

"Relax, Harry," Parvati said, waving her hand at him. "It's not like somebody's going to die or anything." Then she took a bite from her apple.

But the Golden Trio could only look at each other once more. Suddenly Hermione lost her appetite. Who could blame her? Hogwarts was the most dangerous place right now, she didn't know why yet, but for her, with Draco and Dumbledore gone, all hope had been lost.

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

**A/N: Thanks to my incredible reviewers/FRIENDS**! You guys mean everything to me, you know that right? To **Layla Malfoy**, told you I loved your name. Hope you didn't mind. Nope, **Dreaming One**, this isn't a sequel, but I am planning to write one: ) **Draco_Fan**: I love Lifehouse, and the song Everything first perfectly with Chap10! To **Icy Spicy Micey**, I won't be updating **Temple of the Dragon** until I finish this story first… please don't get mad! 

**iHEARTlucasscott** said I was spoiling you with the quick updates and the long chapters… Hehehe.. is she right? Hope you read it really carefully, coz it might be a while before I update… still going through a lot, but I have you guys….

PLEASE REVIEW! THANKS!! UNTIL THE NEXT! .:Ceres Vesta:.


	12. Prelude to A War, Part II

SOOOOOOO SORRY!!!!!! I wanted to update sooner but real life got in the way! Me and a couple of my classmates got chosen to right a paper. If the judges like it, we might get sent to Rome… Whoopee! Anyhoo… I'm back. THANK YOU SO MUCH for waiting and the fabulous reviews!!! 

**IMPORTANT**: Before you read the story, this might be a little AU to you. I always thought that there were more seventh years than just the usual ones we know. I added a few more characters if that's alright. Didn't want the war to be just 8 vs, 4. Please read the A/N afterwards. Don't forget to review!!!! THANKS!!!

Chapter 12 

**PRELUDE TO A WAR PART II**

**Of Butter Cookies, Blood and War**

_He was dreaming._

_He always had a strange obsession with wars. Blood spilt on the soft grass of the soil, wizard screams and cries before their last breath, women begging to have mercy on their souls while a child sobs on a corner as their house is covered in flames. Blood and war. Yes, that was his passion. He had always idolized and envied his father for venturing into the Great War, as of course, being the Death Eater that he was. He wanted so much to accompany him and slander those who were with the Light He didn't mind getting a few scars at all. Thick, scarlet trails of blood and pain were more than just a hindrance for him. _

_But he was not old enough to be a Death Eater yet and his father forbade him to go with him. "Stay here at home. Protect your mother and sister for me. The Dark Lord shall reward us after the war and everything will be perfect again." And so he obeyed his father's orders, and the Great War, with all its red and blue lights emitted by hundreds of wands, became a fragment of his imagination, hidden in the depths of his mind. _

_His father had put a dozen or more protective charms around their house, as well as a couple of Dark Spells to make sure that his mother, sister and himself would stay alive. But he had taken this for granted, and only got bored of his home. (Not as big as The Mansion, though. Nothing was in the whole of Wizarding Britain.) No sooner had he attempted to rest his wand on the antique table in the dining room when three Death Eaters suddenly entered their house, the smell of sweat and blood lingering in his mind, before everything had gone black._

_"A little girl! She was just a mudblood and all you could kill was her useless father? Hit them again!"_

_His dream shifted a good hour into the future. Voldemort's voice echoed in his ears as a bolt of blue light hit him, and an unimaginable excruciating pain surged up his body. He felt the Cruciatus Curse again. He heard screams, and he took some sick pleasure from it before realizing that it had come from him. _

_"My Lord! I'm begging you!" His father pleaded from behind him. His father was immobilized, his feet stuck to the ground and his hands to his sides like cement. But it wasn't as pain-free as it looked. Everytime the receiver of this hex tried to move, it would feel like a hundred tiny needles would sting his back. Literally. He could see his father desperately wanted to move because of the blood seeping through his white robes. (His colleagues deprived his Death-Eater robes of him earlier.) _

_"Please my Lord, this shall not happen again!" The pain was still unbearable, but he managed to look at the man beside his father. Lucius Malfoy stood suffering the same hex, but his rich black robes showed no signs of blood. "I give you my word that Hermione Granger shall die in your hands the next time we capture her."_

_"Do you think there will be a next time here?" Voldemort cursed as a vase near him suddenly shattered into a thousand pieces. Wormtail's fat figure nearly jumped out of his skin. "How many times have I tried to carve into your pathetic minds that Harry Potter will only surrender to us when we have in our hands the people who are dear to him?"_

_Lucius' face twitched at the mention of Potter's name while his father only looked back at his family, and wondered what Voldemort would do to them. _

_"Two of my best wizards, for the task of killing a mudblood witch, and you brought me nothing!" A dusty window at the back broke into pieces. "You should be grateful to me I haven't included your family in this, Lucius," Voldemort grumbled as he continued to pace around the platform. Lucius' legs bent a little as he gave a small bow, and his face didn't distort in pain as blood trickled down his back. _

_"Then I'm begging you, spare my family!" His father pleaded again, but Voldemort only laughed. _

_"Nonsense, Adam," He looked down at him from where he was standing. "This is the outcome of your behavior. Sienna may be stunning, but I am not fond of your wife as I am of Narcissa…"_

_Clutching himself in pain, his eyes roamed to his mother who lay on the floor, her shiny black hair in disarray, barely breathing. His little sister Lobelia was silently singing a song, he could tell from the movement of her lips. He had taught her not to cry anymore, being the age of nine, he had taught her that she was too old to cry about anything. He remembered his father telling him before that he had a talent for being invisible. People wouldn't notice him come inside a room, or leave one, for that matter. He was blessed with the gift of being Unseen._

_Agonizingly, he made his way to the shadows in the corner of the room. A window was left alone and unguarded. It was quite easy. All he had to do was to make as little sound as possible, and move stealthily. He knew his mother would not last longer, but he could still save Lobelia._

_"… and young Draco is worth a lot more than your son, Adam." A guttural laughter escaped from Voldemort's lips. "The dragon is still sleeping within him, and it won't be long before the darkness shall wake it from its deep slumber."_

_Lucius' eyebrows met at the revelation of his heir's destiny. "My son…" he breathed._

_"It's a pity you shall be dead before you can witness your son's glory." Voldemort told him, with malice in his eyes. "Crabbe! Goyle!" He called to the two men with identical beards and wide bodies. "Both of you shall be second in command from now on. The rest of you," he addressed the people whose faces were hidden by their hoods. "Kill them all."_

_Lucius and Adam's eyes widened in alarm but it was Wormtail who cried out loud. "My Lord! Please, reconsider!" His small frame looked up uneasily at Voldemort. "You are not in perfect health right now and Dumbledore has more supporters than we have suspected! With Lucius and Adam dead, replaced by these two—" He stole a glance at Goyle and Crabbe who were poking each other. "—buffoons, what will happen to us?" He finished with a squeak._

_Lobelia was a lot younger and therefore slow at reaching for his hand. She was still in pain, and her raven locks like her brother's was sticking to her with sweat. All she wanted was nothing more than to be with her brother, in the darkness…_

_Voldemort's red eyes glowed with anger under his hood. "I am perfectly capable of winning this war, Wormtail," he hissed under his breath. "You shall be punished the next time you think otherwise."_

_Peter Pettigrew whimpered and sank back. Voldemort looked at his minions. "What are you waiting for?"_

Lobelia reaching out to him was the last image he had of his sister. Voices uttering the same words "Avada Kedavra", a bright flash of green light, and his dreams changed shorter and faster.

_He was walking in the streets, thinking about his parents and his sister, revenge on the Malfoys since the Dark Lord had recently been defeated, but the last memory in his mind was of his father's promise that everything will be perfect again, "after the war…" He kept telling himself._

_His dream changed again, this time Healers had found him sleeping on the sidewalk, muttering the same three words; "after the war". At first they were talking to an ugly dummy at an old muggle department store, then he was transported to a building with a sign that says "St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries". He was brought to the fourth floor, where he could see the sign "Spell Damage". He was brought to his own ward, everything completely white. The sun shone through the room, the white bed, the white walls… The light had blinded him, it was making him crazy. He wanted the darkness, and so he kept his head bent, his raven hair falling over his eyes. Ah, solace. _

_The Healer spoke to him before closing the window of the doors and locking him for the time being. "This is your home now, Blaise."_

Then he woke up.  
It took him a while before he remembered what had happened to him. Granger had stupefied him, and her stupid cat had scratched his face. He lifted his finger and gingerly touched the spot where it stung. He could feel three lines just below his eyes, but he was still in perfect condition. Blaise shook his head, willing the dizziness to go away since he had hit a table earlier before everything went black 

He gave a small laugh as he pulled himself in a sitting position. Dreams were cruel to remind him of his past. But no matter. Everything will be in place and he will make sure that everyone will get what they deserve. He knew he was going to have fun doing this. A piece of parchment had fallen to the floor and he squinted in the darkness to read what it said. "_Gryffindor Passwords for the Month…_"

His lips formed into a cold sneer as he rolled it and placed it in his pockets and slowly stood on his feet.

*           *           *

Upstairs at the Mansion, the grandfather clock had told its inhabitants that it was already seven in the evening. All the rooms were silent and still, and the house-elves were eating stale bread and cheese down at the dungeons – the day's worth of hard work and labor. Above them was the Dining Room, where a heavy mahogany table stood in the center, lined with tiny candles and flowers on the edges. A painting of horses was hanged by the wall, and the room had been enchanted to feel warm and cozy (as the whole Mansion was). Outside, the snow was falling, you could see from the windows, and a deathly silence loomed over the Dining Room. 

Narcissa Malfoy loved her only son more than anything else in the world. She wanted nothing but the best for him; the best toys, the best clothes, the best school. Lucius had said that she was spoiling Draco to death, but it didn't matter what Lucius thought. Not anymore. Every summer Draco would come home with highly satisfactory grades, bruises he had gotten from playing Seeker for the House of Slytherin. No matter how Lucius said it countless of times before, Draco Malfoy had always made his mother proud.

But she had always loved her husband, there was no doubt about that. In the past, Lucius had always been the sweetest thing in Hogwarts. Yes, he was arrogant and conceited, bragged about his wealth as often as he could open his mouth, but he could easily… sweep her off her feet. It had been a fairytale until Lucius lost his way to the dark side. 

But she loved him so much she couldn't leave. And so she stayed with him when he became cold and distant, prayed for him to the gods when he went into battle, and mourned for him dearly when he had left her instead. Her years of being a Malfoy had taught her to hide her emotions well. Now, Narcissa was in control of everything Lucius had owned, except for the tears she cried for her husband every night.

She lifted her head and looked across the other end of the table. Her son was seated on the chair where his father used to, silently eating his dinner. Draco had been awfully quiet since he had entered the room, and Narcissa was growing curious by the minute. Finally he felt her stare, and Draco lifted his silver eyes to meet his mother's unique violet orbs.

"Are you thinking about her again, Draco?"

His face slightly twitched but he continued to look at his mother. _What was she talking about_? Could she have known already? Eventually, he put his fork down and leaned back on his chair. He hesitated lying to her but he knew his mother had a talent for looking into a person's soul. 

"How did you know, mother?"

Narcissa smiled at her son. "Your Grandmother Layla told all the portraits in the house earlier today. Said you had fallen in love with a mud—_muggle_, as I have heard."

His lips curved into a smirk. "Yes, she's a mudblood," he said, casting his eyes at the soft glow of the candle. "And I don't intend on stopping whatever I feel about her anytime soon, mother," his eyes looked back at her and his voice dropped in an undertone. "Nothing you, nor anyone else, will get in our way."

Narcissa smiled inwardly at this. Lucius had said the exact same thing to her older brother in the past. "Though I am your mother, Draco, I am in no position to tell you what to do with the matters of your heart." She leaned forward and her violet orbs glistened in the candlelight. "I just hope that you are happy with the choice you have made."

He hadn't moved an inch but the emotions in his eyes had changed from contempt to confusion. "Are you saying you approve of this? But, Father always said—"

"You're father is gone, Draco," she replied coldly. "Leave that as it is."

"Sorry," he said quickly. Slowly the smirk that was on his face had turned into a genuine smile, the kind of smile Narcissa hadn't seen in a long time. "So you're telling me that…" He gave a short laugh. He wasn't expecting this at all. He couldn't find the words to explain the joy he was feeling right now. 

"Yes, Draco, I'm telling you that," she nodded her head and chuckled softly. "So what are you getting her for Christmas?"

"Christmas?" he echoed. He shook his head in disbelief. This wasn't real at all. Earlier he had been quiet because he had been thinking about how he should tell his mother about his feelings for Granger. He knew his mother had a kind heart, but he was expecting she would let all hell lose the moment he told her she was a mudblood. Instead here she was in front of him, asking him if he had already bought a gift for Granger.

"Yes, darling," Narcissa replied. "Just because we don't celebrate Christmas anymore doesn't mean everyone else stopped."

Draco's eyebrows burrowed. It had been a while since his last real Christmas. He was barely thirteen then, and after his father had learned that Voldemort was becoming stronger, Christmas was never spoken of anymore. "No, mother," he said. "I haven't thought about it yet."

Narcissa sat quiet for a moment, and Draco reckoned she was in deep thought. Finally she stood up from her chair and looked pleased with herself, and it reminded Draco of how Hermione had looked whenever she would pass her quiz paper to McGonagall. "I think I may have the perfect gift. Follow me," she said to her son.

Draco looked up to his mother. "But Dimsy hasn't given me my butter cookies yet." He wasn't complaining, he was declaring. Dinner was never finished until Dimsy had served him the butter cookies from Denmark he had always fancied even as a kid. His deepest, darkest secret.

"I'll just have him serve your cookies upstairs in my room," she said impatiently. 

"But—" Draco tried to argue.

"_Follow me_." It was that tone again. It was the same tone Narcissa always used whenever she would get something she wants, or have everything she ordered obeyed.

So Draco rolled his eyes and stood up. They were both stubborn, but her mother had the upper hand. His butter cookies would have to wait.

*           *           *

Black and silver. These were the colors of his parents' bedroom, and these were also the colors Draco remembered everytime he had nightmares when he was younger. He would get out of his room and walk fast down the hall to where his mother and father slept, climb up the bed and snuggle in between them. In the morning Lucius would train his son to control his dreams, but the night before, Draco had felt safe.

But there were no signs of Lucius now. His study table (where he used to do late night work) was clean and untouched, and his wooden closet had been emptied, the contents burned to ash. Narcissa pointed his son to the bed and Draco sat willingly, his foot tapping on the carpeted floor impatiently. She went over to her vanity table when there was a slight knock on the door. A grubby house-elf wearing a dirty old pillowcase entered, holding a silver platter with his two tiny hands. "His master's cookies, sir," he whispered softly, his head bowed at all times. 

"Very good, Dimsy, just give it to Draco," Narcissa mumbled as she opened one of the fancy drawers of her table. Dimsy obliged and Draco took the plate from his hands, careful not to touch his spoiled fingers. "That would be all." Dimsy bowed even lower as his long nose touched the floor, and then he left the room almost immediately.

Draco was munching on the elegantly shaped cookies happily (though he was cautious not to show it) when Narcissa suddenly pulled a black box from her table and sat down beside him. "This was your father's first gift to me, before we got married."

He brushed the crumbs from his lap and swallowed. "What is it?" he asked before opening the box. His mother only smiled as a shiny silver necklace gleamed from the white satin cushion inside, and Draco marveled at its beauty. It was round like a choker, metallic or aluminum, he couldn't tell, and there was a single serpent as a pendant. Draco knew it had been expensive, but it was simple, it was beautiful, and it was perfect. He lifted the necklace in his hands to look at it closely and he realized that there were words inscribed. Latin, he couldn't understand, but there were two names that he could read. _Lucius and Narcissa_. He faced his mother for answers.

"The names will change, darling, trust me," Narcissa said softly. "_Amor certum haud confinium_. Love knows no boundaries. My family wasn't much fond of your father, especially my older brother. He kept breaking us apart, but Lucius and I knew that it wasn't going to be long before we would be together again. We married without my parents' consent."

"But you came from a pureblooded family!" Draco said, surprised. He had never known the story between his parents.

"Bloodlines aren't the only thing that prevents two people to be together," Narcissa replied. "Faith, traditions… My family told me that I should stay away from Lucius, because he came from a long line of Dark Wizards… But he was anything but dark before." She stared at the silver necklace her son was holding in his fingers. "Promise me you won't be like your father."

He looked up to his mother. "I swear it."

"Good." Narcissa smiled. "What's her name again?"

Draco understood that she didn't want to talk about the past anymore. So he put the necklace back inside the black box and took another butter cookie instead. "It's Gran—I mean, _Hermione_. Her name's Hermione Granger."

Narcissa slowly nodded her head approvingly. "Such a muggle name," she breathed.

"She's more than just a muggle, mother," Draco replied between bites. "There's so much stuff you'd love about her."

Narcissa gave a thin smile. She was surprised when she heard Layla Malfoy talking with the other portraits, but when she heard Hermione Granger, she knew his son had chosen wisely. Malfoys always had great taste in women, Draco got that from his father, but she also recalled one summer when Draco complained throughout their whole vacation in Paris about a certain mudblood Granger who was every teacher's favorite at school. This girl was obviously smart, though she had just remembered, she was also the best friend of his son's mortal enemy. But she was worried about this girl. Being his father's son, the darkness inside Draco was unpredictable. 

"Does Blaise know about Hermione?" Narcissa asked, shifting her thoughts to something else.

"Yes," Draco answered, licking his lips. The butter cookies had been finished and he was fighting the urge to summon Dimsy again. "There is nothing that I don't hide from Blaise."

"I see. What about Vincent and Gregory?"

"You mean Crabbe and Goyle?" he smirked. "They're stuck in kindergarten. I didn't think they would comprehend anything like this." 

Narcissa gave a short laugh. "Blaise is a good friend, I can tell."

"I trust him with my life."

"Best friend?"

"I suppose so."

"Are you quite comfortable, Draco?"

"Yes, why?" he raised an eyebrow. His stomach yearned for a couple more butter cookies, but he would manage.

Narcissa took a deep breath. "I was going to hold this off until after Christmas, but I figure another revelation wouldn't hurt." Once again, Draco was clueless. His mother's eyes roamed around her room. "Do you remember the Great War, Draco?" 

Her son snorted. _Who could forget_, he thought to himself.

Narcissa wasn't waiting for an answer. "Well, Adam Zabini wrote a will saying that if something should happen to him and his wife, he wanted their children to be taken care of by Lucius. Unfortunately, their youngest daughter Lobelia also died when the Zabinis were murdered, and Blaise was kept somewhere safe until he had recovered from the trauma."

Draco's lips were suddenly dry. He had completely forgotten about the Zabinis, mainly because Blaise had never brought the topic up when they would talk about the Great War. "Where did he live during this time?"

"It doesn't matter where he was in the past," Narcissa replied, reaching out to squeeze Draco's hand. "What matters is that… your father and I are Blaise's legal guardians and…" She bit her lip, trying to find the right words to tell her son.

"Just say, it mother," Draco told her, not daring to leave his mother's violet eyes that were locked into his.

"Draco," she took a deep breath. "I'm adopting him. You and Blaise are going to be brothers."

_Brothers_? His fingers found the black box his mother had given him and grasped it tightly. Now he definitely needed some more butter cookies.

*           *           *

_"You're filthy, but you're beautiful."_

_                                                                                                        "We mean you and Malfoy all googely eyed with each other!"_

_                     "I wasn't lying, you know, that I've fallen for you."_

_                                                                                         "It's Malfoy we're talking about here!"_

_                            "A lion and a serpent don't usually mingle together…"_

_                                                                                                                      "Don't walk out on me like that!"_

_"Did you think he'd take a Gryffindor's word for it? I heard you back there, he didn't."_

                                                           "I'll miss you, Hermione."

After having the most miserable dinner at the Great Hall, Harry and Ron had refused to let Hermione sleep on her own at the Head Room. They came there only so they could get her stuff, and Blaise was not inside anymore. Ron couldn't care less. Had he found Blaise on the Head Room, he would have to kill him with his bare hands. After telling the seventh years to be back inside their dormitories by ten o'clock, Hermione fell asleep beside Harry on his bed at the Gryffindor Tower. And so she lay there with her eyes closed, dreaming about Malfoy with Harry snoring peacefully by her side, protecting her even in his sleep.

It was dark. There were no images in her dream, only voices that seemed to be whispered in her ears. Hermione wondered what time was it so she could wake up early for Transfigurations, but she forgot it was Christmas break. And then she felt it.

The dream changed. The voices had faded away, and were replaced by the softest feather touches imaginable. Hands. Everywhere. Was it Malfoy? She wished it were. Hermione couldn't see, she was in the dark, but whoever it was made her moan in her sleep. Then all of a sudden it was gone.

Silence. Crickets outside in the night. The sound of curtains blowing against the wind. Or was it robes? Then the most deafening scream a young man could ever conjure.

"Neville! What happened!"

"He tried to kill me!"

Hermione's eyes suddenly fluttered open. She wasn't dreaming at all.

*           *           *  
  


"I couldn't see who it was… His hair was covering his face…"

It was midnight and the whole Gryffindor was awakened by Neville's ear-splitting scream that they immediately ran to their dormitory, wanting to find out the reason for interrupted sleep. They were in such a rush that they had forgotten to turn the lights no, but no matter. The moon and the stars would suffice.

Harry and Ron were the first to come to Neville's aid but the intruder was already gone. There was a trail of blood coming down from Neville's arm, which Hermione was trying to heal under the poor light. It wasn't deep, but it was nasty enough for anyone uncomfortable with blood. Parvati stayed as far away from him as possible. 

"Who would want to hurt Neville?" asked Ron, shaking his head.

"Hurt me?" Neville winced. "He was trying to bloody kill me!"

"But you scared him away," said Harry, trying to be rational. 

"Bet you it was that Draco Malfoy," Ivan Sternmack said from the corner in the dark. He was a tall curly haired boy with a long nose. "You all now how much he hates us. Reckon he was only looking for the right time, with all the professors gone."

"You're wrong," Hermione suddenly said, closing the lid of Quickheal ointment and giving it to Neville. "He wouldn't hurt him."

"Just because you're sleeping with the enemy doesn't mean he's on friendly terms with us."

Hermione's mouth dropped open and would have marched right into Ivan had it not been for Harry who held her back. "That's enough," he raised his voice. "Malfoy had nothing to do with this. His mother needed him back at the Mansion." He looked at Ivan right in the eye. "Talk to Hermione like that again, you'll be answering to me."

"And me," Ron added, standing up from the bed. Ivan was clearly intimidated by his size and quickly shut his mouth.

"Well it must have been a Slytherin!" Jasmine Herbert cried out, her blonde hair covered by a nightcap. The others nodded in agreement. "The Hufflepuffs wouldn't hurt a fly, and the Ravenclaws would just thing it's pointless!"

"Can't you remember anything, Neville?" Hermione asked gently. 

Lavender snorted. Asking Neville to remember something was like asking one of Hagrid's ugly creatures to plant daisies on the ground.

"Hang on a second…" Neville said as he strained his mind to picture what had happened only a few minutes ago. "Actually I do remember… a, a snake, a serpent! On his chest—"

"HEY! Something dripped on my shirt!" Stephen Winkle jumped from beside Dean's bed.

"Don't move!" Dean steadied his friend. "Lumos… Shit Steve! You're bleeding!" 

Hermione's head suddenly turned around in their direction, curiosity and confusion in flux in her mind. One by one, each seventh year muttered Lumos under their breaths to see what ws happening. But as the gradual light lit up the dormitory, a sight haunted them from the walls. Lavender and Parvati gave a cry between a gasp and a scream. Seamus walked shakily to get a better view. Most of the seventh years were frozen on their spots while Hermione's breathing became short and ragged as she got up and clutched Harry's arm. 

Written in what looked like blood (enchanted, Hermione supposed,) the words DIE GRYFFINDORS were oozing down from the walls of the dormitory.

"Yup," Ron slowly nodded his head. "It was a Slytherin alright."

*           *           *

Harry had had enough of all this Gryffindor-Slytherin bullshit.

He didn't know what their problem was, they had never given the Slytherins any motivation to hate their guts so much. He had given them the chance of turning their backs but they held on to their pride and this had gone too far. Harry had a number of reasons to agree with Neville that they wanted more than just to hurt him. Didn't they know what he ws capable of doing to them? He had defeated Voldemort himself, well, with lost of help, but still. Who knows what he could do to those Slytherins? Maybe they'll soon find out, this was already the last straw.

He was making his way down to the Slytherin Dungeons and his heart was beating loudly and painfully in his chest, in sync with his footsteps. Ron was beside him, clenching his fists while Hermione was trudging along, fastening her robes to cover her nightgown. She was doing her best to try and talk Harry out of whatever violent plan he had in mind, but they only landed in deaf ears. He had put this off far too long already. He didn't care if he would get into another fight wearing nothing but his pajamas. _Besides_, he thought as he looked back and saw the other students behind him. _The whole Gryffindor's with me._

But when he turned his head around, the empty hallway he had seen earlier was now filled with the whole seventh year Slytherins with smug looks on their faces. Damien was leading the group, his thick eyebrows and black eyes glaring at him, wand in his left hand, ready to kill. But Harry kept on walking. Was he going to stun him, or hex him? Harry had already swore after the Great War that he would never kill another soul again, but he was ready to break that promise. The distance between them was getting closer. Twelve feet… Five feet…

"Where the hell's our trophy, Potter?" Damien roughly pushed Harry in the chest when they were nose to nose.

He immediately caught his balance. "It's right there up your ass, Damien!" Harry hissed under his breath. "Now which one of you tried to kill Neville?"

A guttural laughter escaped from Damien's lips. "Damnit! You mean he's still alive?"

"Quit playing games, Bagerbath!" Harry growled. "One of you somehow knew the password and wrote those stupid words on the walls of our dormitory! Doesn't matter, you're all going to pay for it!"

"Harry stop it!" Hermione squealed behind her. She was thankful Harry had the presence of mind to talk while holding Ron was more difficult. He looked ready to pounce on one of the Slytherins at any minute.

"Look who's talking!" Pansy Parkinson shouted. "You stole our trophy and wrote DIE SLYTHERINS in our dungeons!" 

"Well you never deserved the trophy in the first place!" Lavender screamed from the back of the Gryffindors. By now students from the other houses had awaken from the screams at the hall, and they were straining to hear the words the Slytherins and Gryffindors were throwing at each other.

"You tried to kill one of us! Do you deny it?" Harry shouted, his brilliant green eyes glowing with fury. 

"We didn't kill anyone!" Puchnik yelled from behind Damien. "You took the trophy from us! Admit it!" 

"We don't even know your goddamned password, you asshole!" Ron's face was already red with anger it was becoming darker than his hair. 

"Well we'll never solve anything since neither of us is confessing."

A deep husky voice suddenly spoke from behind the Slytherins and the crowd grew silent. Slowly the serpent crowd parted and Blaise Zabini had that evil sneer across his face, which was scarred with Crookshanks' claws.

Harry immediately reached out for Hermione and pulled her to his back. "Bastard," Harry gritted his teeth. "How dare you show your face to me?"

"Watch your language Potter," Zabini drawled. "I don't think your friend over there would want to talk about that here." 

She squeezed Harry's arm tighter as Ron moved closer to hide Hermione from Blaise. The other Gryffindors and Slytherins didn't have an idea to what they were talking about, but no matter. Whatever was happening right now, they all knew where it was going to lead.

Zabini snickered at the looks of the Golden Trio. They were going to do anything in the name of their friend, and in the name of their house. He looked back at his housemates and noticed the Slytherins were not backing out anymore. They were ready.

"So we tried to kill one of you, and you stole our trophy. Had enough, Potter?"

"I've had it up to here, Zabini!" Harry replied, pointing above his head.

"So I'll challenge you to a war then. Finish this once and for all. Slytherins against Gryffindors." 

Harry's breathing was becoming ragged. Another war. He saw it coming. He twisted his head to see if his housemates were afraid in any way, but they were Gryffindors, of noble and brave heart, nothing was going to stop them now. Years of hatred and loathing against each other was finally going to end. 

"Tomorrow. Sundown," Harry drawled. "You'd better prepare yourself, Zabini. It's going to get ugly."

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^~*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

A BIG Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Thanks to **BaYbEeXGxJeNn** btw. Loved talking to ya! mermaidcutie@yahoo.com, thank you for reading this, but please don't let this get in the way of algebra. Finish everything first, then drown yourself in the Draco/Hermione Ship *wink*. **PlAsTiCk MoOn** – stop drooling over draco already! Jeannie: I'm not cebuano. Born and bred in Manila, Philippines! Satanic-Purple-Onion: nope, haven't seen Battle Royal… sorry…hehehe

A/N: **Lobelia** is a kind of flower. Doesn't **Narcissa** look exotic with violet eyes? Beautiful. The **Danish cookies** might be random, but I thought it was cute. _Amor certum haud confinium. _I hope my translation was correct because I just used a Latin-English Dictionary. I am telling this story in different POVs so tell me if I'm confusing you in anyway. 

This is the end of the preludes! Next chapter's the war! Dun dun dun… Aurgh!!! Oh man, please go easy on me….

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!!!! .:|Ceres Vesta|:.

P.S. Have you guys seen the trailer? *dies* hehe


	13. The War

I'm sorry! I do hope you didn't mind the wait. Please review after the story, but go easy on me coz I'm scared as hell with what you think about the war! Thanks to everyone for everything! PS. I'm out of Danish cookies… : (

To Jocelyn Pagoda, Juliette, and especially Shedraconis 

**Chapter Thirteen**

**The War**

It had to be the longest night for Hermione. After Harry had accepted Zabini's challenge, there was nothing else to say to make Harry change his mind. And so both Houses retreated to their dormitories, awaiting the fate that lay ahead for them. Some went to sleep, the others stayed awake, but as for Hermione, she was somewhere in between.

What good will the war do except satisfy a few grudges and disdain? Hermione had always supported the Sorting Hat's song about inter-house relationships, then again, when she thought about it, she was probably the only one. If only Draco had listened to her. How would things be different if he had stayed behind? It seemed so long since their last kiss, and yet not even a day had gone by since he had left. Had it all been just a dream?

*           *           *

Harry couldn't sleep. Images of the Great War kept haunting his mind as history repeated itself. _The earth was brighter than the night sky because of the many curses each side was throwing off. Ron had a broken arm but kept fighting, Hermione was helping a blood-covered Lupin to his feet. Voldemort had appeared in front of him and threw Harry across the ground. Somewhere Dumbledore was close behind…_

 "Harry? Are you awake?"

His eyes fluttered open. He turned around to Hermione who was lying beside him. Her cheek was resting upon her palm and her elbow was leaning against the bed. "Yeah," he replied as the Great War disappeared into his mind. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Hermione sighed. "Just couldn't sleep."

Harry nodded. "Me too."

"So, who do you think stole the Slytherin's trophy anyway?" she suddenly asked, moving closer to him. They were speaking in hushed voices in case they woke anyone up.

"No one," Harry's body tensed as Hermione rested her head on his chest and flung her arm around his stomach. "They're just making it all up," he said. "Who would steal from them when all the thieves belong to _their_ House?" They had been this close already, and Harry needed all the power in the universe to control his emotions, just as before.

"I haven't gotten over the Great War yet and already we've got a new one to fight," Hermione whispered beneath him. "Are you sure this is worth risking the lives of others?"

"They made the decision the moment they were in the dungeons," Harry replied, stroking her hair. He had gotten back his composure. "Zabini proposed, and they didn't step back." He smiled inwardly at the courage of his housemates.

Hermione bit her lip. "I'm just frightened, Harry…"

"Listen to me," he lifted her chin to look into her coffee brown eyes. "Ron and I won't let anything happen to you, you know that."

"I can take care of myself," she frowned at him. "I'm just worried about the others."

"Don't be," Harry breathed. "Nothing will happen to them."

Hermione rested her head back to his chest. Somehow she couldn't take his word for it. She closed her eyes and let the future take its course. Right now all she could do was pretend she was in Draco's arms, and not Harry's. Ironically, only then did she feel safe.

*           *           *

"…And this is the deed to your father's enterprise. This one says you're willing to take the High Chair… These are the different companies under Lucius… Wenderbrein… Faimstaff… Oh you'll need to sign this ones too…"

It had been the morning after and Draco was back in the Library with Narcissa and Steelbrow. They had drawn the curtains over the Malfoy Portraits to drown the excited cries from their ancestors. They always get like this when they were talking about inheritance and wealth. A bunch of parchments were spread across the table and Draco sat with a fine quill in his hand.

"What about Borgin & Burkes?" He asked distractedly. He was going crazy from the heaps of parchments in front of him. He saw the can of Danish cookies from the corner of his eye. "Didn't father own that one too?" His fingers retrieved a pretzel-shaped cookie and _aristocratically_ jammed it in his mouth. 

"Yes he did, but we were obliged to shut it down," Steelbrow replied gruffly. He was sporting a well-groomed goatee above his five-layer chin. "Young _Weasley_ wanted everything Dark abolished the moment he became Minister after the War."

"Ah, yes, the youngest in the Ministry's history," Narcissa purred as Steelbrow nodded his balding head. Draco kept scribbling away. "That Peter Weasley had more ambition—"

"—Percy," Draco said automatically, remembering how Crabbe and unexpectedly corrected him before the Chamber of Secrets was opened.

"Well, Arthur is still in Misuse of Muggle Artifacts," Steelbrow said.

"I'm not surprised," Narcissa drawled. "Always did love his office there. What happened to Cornelius?"  

"Died in action, remember?"

"Pity," Narcissa chuckled as she gently put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Borgin & Burkes has another chapter in Germany, son. You need not worry about it." Draco nodded as he brushed away the crumbs that had fallen to the table. "How much does my son own as of now, Marius?"

"Ah," Steelbrow grabbed a parchment from the table and squinted his eyes to see better. "Currently, Draco Malfoy owns fourteen million Galleons."

In one swift, graceful manner, Draco had signed his signature on a piece of parchment and it illuminated with a red glow. The last of his Unbreakable Contracts. "Hang on, what's this?" he frowned as he pointed to a paragraph at the corner of the parchment written in minute letters.

Steelbrow peered closer. "Oh that's just for your mum, incase you get mortally wounded or receive an Avada Kedavra. Says she'll get everything—"

"Ready to be filthy rich, Malfoy?"

Draco was momentarily taken aback but his lips formed into a smirk. He didn't need to look at the person who had suddenly entered the Library to see who it was. He recognized that voice just as his own. "Careful Zabini. Or you'll lose half of Father's treasures to Snape."

The three of them spun around to see Blaise Zabini standing in the left-open doorway, running a hand through his snow-flaked hair. He looked a bit surprised with what Draco had said. 

"Blaise!" Narcissa gasped as Draco walked over to him, shook his hand firmly and gave him a quick embrace. "Mother's told me everything last night," he said when they had pulled away. "How's Hermione?"

Blaise suddenly forgot why he was there in the first place. "You mean you're alright with it?"

"They'd better watch out for two bad-ass Malfoys soon," Draco snickered and suddenly noticed the gash under his left eye. "What happened to your face?"

"Wildcat," Blaise rolled his eyes as Draco raised an eyebrow. "Could I borrow your son for a while, Narcissa?" he looked over Draco's shoulder.

"Certainly," she smiled, her violet eyes glinting. She had found Draco and Blaise's quick embrace quite heartwarming. "Marius and I will sort the rest out. Your behavior is excused Blaise, but you'd better start calling me _mother_ soon."

Her real son smirked as the raven haired boy gave her a small bow. "My apologies," he said, before the two of them left the room.

"How did you get here?" Draco asked when they were out of the Library.

Blaise reached into his pockets and pulled out a pearl earring, similar to Draco's portkey. "Narcissa gave one to me. Where do you think the other pair was?" He looked around as they walked across the Drawing Room. "The Mansion hasn't changed at all." There was an enormous crystal chandelier above them and they were stepping on an intricately woven carpet in Venice. All objects of the Dark Arts were surrendered to the Ministry except those that have always belonged to the Malfoy Heritage, which was stored beneath them. "I still know my way around."

Draco nodded his head. Adam Zabini had always brought his son along to the Mansion whenever he would talk "business" with Lucius. "You were always welcomed to join me at Hogwarts before," Draco began as they climbed up the marble staircase.

"And hang around with Crabbe and Goyle? I don't think so."

They stopped in front of a thick black door and once again Draco raised his finger and traced the letter M around the cursives carved on it. The door opened with a green glow and the two boys stepped inside Draco's room.

It was huge. There was a large four-poster bed in the center, black velvet cushion with green satin sheets. In front of it was a fireplace which kept going throughout the whole day. A stack of books was piled on his desk and a dragon was enchanted to slither through the dark walls, a soft growl vibrating through the room.

"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Draco asked as he sat down on his bed.

Blaise took a deep breath. " "I don't know how else to say this so I'm going to say this anyway." He looked at Malfoy straight in the eye. "The Gryffindors stole out trophy."

"They what?"

Blaise took out his wand and aimed at the Dragon. "_Quietus_!" The whole room fell silent. "Last night. I couldn't sleep so I went to the Common Room to see our trophy—"

"I thought I gave it to Snape."

"He gave it back to us when the professors had to leave for Romania with Filch as well."

"The whole faculty's gone?" Draco had left his school for a day and already Hogwarts has turned upside down.

Blaise ran his fingers through his hair. "Anyway I went there, and the trophy was gone. What's worse, there were these words written on the walls… _Die Slytherins_…"

Draco's eyes began to turn into a darker shade of gray but Blaise continued. "So I woke everyone up, and they saw what I saw, and we all just went to the Gryffindor Tower. But those fuckin' bravehearts were already on our dungeons complaining about a scratch on Longbottom's arms and a bunch of writings on _their_ walls. They weren't admitting anything and they kept accusing us of something…" he stopped dead on his tracks. "I challenged them to a war, Draco."

_A war against the Gryffindors_? His eyes were now almost black. "What did they do?" Draco asked, gritting his teeth.

"They accepted it."

He bent his head as his silver blonde hair fell over his eyes. "Hermione. Did you see her? Where was she when all this happened?"

"I saw her," Blaise kept his face unreadable. "And she was all over Potter."

Draco clutched his bed sheets as his breathing turned from normal to ragged. _That bastard. I knew he was up to something. That son of a bitch…_

"Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you, Draco?" Blaise tried to look into his eyes. "They stole the only thing we take pride in. The Gryffindors are already the Headmaster's favorite, they're still a hundred points ahead of us, and they still want more! They won't stop until they're fuckin' perfect!"

Draco slowly shook his head. "You're talking about another war, Blaise—"

"I'm talking about putting an end to all of this! The Gryffindors deserve to die!" Malfoy was surprised. Blaise never lost his temper. "Look, I'm not forcing you to do anything," Blaise sighed heavily. "I just thought you'd know, since you did win the House Cup for us. The Slytherins are determined to win, with or without you." He paused. "But if you come back now, maybe you can win Hermione back."

Draco raised his eyes to look at Blaise. "Tell your mother I said thanks for everything." The raven-haired boy pulled out Narcissa's pearl earring and after a few moments, he was gone.

*           *           *

"_Protego_," Hermione muttered under her breath as a flash of blue shot out from her wand and hit the stonewalls of the Ravenclaw Towers. Immediately it spread to the whole walls, towards the ceilings and into the dormitories until the whole tower shone with a blue light. Her eyes roamed around the blue and bronze room with a satisfied look on her face. 

"We appreciate your doing this for us, Hermione," Terry Boot said as he shook her frail but powerful hand. "We really do."

"Don't mention it, Terry," Hermione forced a smile. "It's the least I can do." She had gone to the Hufflepuff's common room while Harry and Ron were giving the Gryffindors a pep talk and training them at the same time. She couldn't imagine what would have happened to the Eagle and the Badger if she hadn't thought of this plan at all. It was already near six o'clock when she had left the Hufflepuffs and went to the Ravenclaw Tower. "Thanks for letting me in."

"I wish we could do something about this," Padma Patil leaned forward and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek. "Take care of my sister, will you?"

"I will," Hermione replied weakly. "But it's not yours to meddle with, Padma. Now listen carefully," she said as Terry and Padma looked seriously at her. "When the sun sets, I want all of your housemates to be inside your dormitories. You'll be safe here in your Tower until the war is over." Both of the Ravenclaws nodded their heads. "if anything should happen to any one of us, just…"I've put a shielding charm around here as well as in Hufflepuff so the Line will just pass over your Houses."

"What line?" Terry looked confused.

"You don't know how a war starts?" Padma asked her friend. Terry grinned sheepishly.

"Before a war, a Line is drawn by one of the leaders of the opposing sides," Padma began, flipping her black hair over her shoulder. "From the spot where it was drawn, it extends to the whole territory of where it will take place. Participants will sort of," she paused, looking for the right word. "Mix together, and fight each other off…"

Hermione didn't need to hear all those words again. Although she tried to pay attention to what Padma was saying, her body had suddenly moved, as if she was hypnotized, towards one of the windows of the Ravenclaw Tower, overlooking the Forbidden Forest. The sun was midway between the earth and the sky, shining brightly above the snow-covered grounds.

"Surely they wouldn't go that far!" Terry's shocked voice seemed far away.

"Get real, Terry, they're Slytherins!" Padma exclaimed. "It's their nature to kill."

_Look harder, dearie_, the voice within Hermione told her as she squinted in the white blizzard. A spot of black greeted her eyes, then she realized it must be robes, because it was blowing wildly in the air. Semi-long white hair blew against the wind, no, _blonde_, she corrected as the figure kept coming closer and closer. _Silver blonde_…

"So how will the war end?" Terry asked, who seemed to have forgotten Hermione's presence in the room.

"That depends. Sometimes, when the other side is totally destroyed. Most of the time, though, the line decides when."

Hermione rested her hand on the frosted windowpane. He looked like a mirage in the winter, she was afraid he would just fade away. Her knees felt weak as she suddenly found it very hard to breathe. _Draco's back._

*           *           *

She was running. She left the Ravenclaw Tower and kept running and running until her lungs wanted to explode in her chest, her legs begging for her to stop. But she didn't want to. Not until she was back in Draco's arms.

The frigid weather outside had no effect on Draco as he walked briskly towards the castle. They were not going to fight because one of those pathetic Gryffindors had stolen their much-earned trophy. It merely triggered the war. They were going to fight because years of bottled-up animosity had finally burst open. Revenge on the do-gooders for always overshadowing his House, for stereotyping the Slytherins as dirty, foul and evil. The war was a mean to their end, and the Slytherins would be given justice. _He would kill the Gryffindors_. Each and everyone of—

Hermione.

He doubled his speed and now he was running. What was he going to do? He had to protect her, but he didn't know how. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms. Outside the sun had begun to set. 

Draco forcefully unbolted the oak doors as the winter snow seeped through the castle. His eyes roamed around, and then he saw her, running down the marble staircase, her face flushed with exhaustion. Both of them halted in their steps when they saw each other. What were they going to do? They were in the brink of war, fighting on opposite sides. But Draco ran towards Hermione and she to him, and he lifted her up and held her tight, in an embrace that she wished could end all wars.

"Draco…" Tears flowed continuously from her russet eyes as Draco found comfort at the familiar scent of her soft brown curls. His coldness and her warmth united as they held each other close. They gazed into each other's eyes before their lips met, and all their fears had faded away. He deepened their kiss, his tongue roaming around the walls of her mouth and Hermione only sighed with relief as the familiar sensation came back to her. 

"I've missed you so much," he whispered to her, giving her butterfly kisses on her cheeks, neck, nose, and eyes. 

"Thank god you're back," she breathed as Draco wiped her tears away. "There's a war… you've got to tell them to stop…"

"I can't," he hushed her, running his hand through her hair. "Potter already accepted. If the Gryffindors hadn't stolen our—"

"I swear to you none of us did that!" she persisted, clutching his strong arms. "Someone from your house tried to kill Neville and you've gone too far!"

"Stop it, Hermione!" Draco cupped her face. "Blaise told me the others were just making that up!"

"Zabini's lying!" Hermione yelled at him, pounding her fist on her chest. _Why won't he wake up to the truth_? "I told you something was wrong with him and you wouldn't listen to me!"

"What proof do you have?" Draco suddenly grabbed her arms. "You've got to stay will me! I'll protect you from them!"

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. What was she going to say? That Blaise was the one who entered the Gryffindor Tower? She didn't have any proof. She could never tell Draco what Zabini tried to do to her when he left. She just couldn't. She flung her arms around Draco's neck and embraced him once more. "Do you love me or not, Draco?" she whispered in his ear. There was already little light coming from outside and she could her footsteps from either side of her. 

Malfoy closed his eyes and held her tight. He was in love with her. "I want you safe, Hermione."

"Then tell Zabini to stop the war!"

"No!" Draco yelled, grabbing Hermione's arms and shaking her violently. "The Slytherins are gonna _kill_ you, do you understand?"

"Take your hands off her Malfoy!"

Harry's voice suddenly shouted from the marble staircase. The Gryffindor seventh years were behind him, wands out, and Ron was beside Harry clutching his wand and clenching his fists. Below them Zabini, coming from their dungeons, was leading the Slytherins. Each face showed utter hatred and contempt. 

Draco continued to hold Hermione's arms. "_Fight with me_," he pleaded in her eyes.

She bit her lip to stop her tears from falling. Draco never answered if he loved her or not. "I can't." She lifted her head and gave him a thin smile. "Maybe we were just being silly, Draco."

He frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Maybe we never did belong to each other," Hermione whispered.

Draco slowly released her from his grip in disbelief. _What was she saying_? He thought as Hermione made her way to the Gryffindors and took out her wand as well. She nodded her head and Weasley whispered encouragements in her ear while Harry stepped forward, going straight to Malfoy.

"Brother, it's time."

Draco heard Zabini's voice from behind him, and he turned around. The Slytherins were gripping their wand tightly, looking up to their leader. "Touch Hermione and I will kill you." He nodded his head to Blaise and faced Harry.

"Bow to me, Potter," He drawled as he bent his head to him, their eyes not leaving each other. 

Harry obliged and smirked at him. "Ready?" 

But Draco brought his wand up to his face, and Harry did the same. "Do it."

The others behind them gripped their wands tighter as Harry aimed his wand to the floor and drew a short line, dividing his side from Draco's side. A red beam glowed from the line below them. Suddenly it extended, crawling on the floor like a snake, going in all directions and enveloping the castle in its scarlet light. As promised, it passed over the Hufflepuff dungeons and the Ravenclaw Towers, but proceeded outside, reaching the Forbidden Forest and the Lake. 

"I didn't have to draw a line to tell you where you belong, Malfoy," Harry muttered as he glared at the Slytherin, lowering his voice only the two of them can hear. "Hermione belongs to us."

"Lines are pathetic Potter," Draco's lips formed into a cold sneer. "All I have to do is cross it."

Suddenly there was a blinding light, and the Slytherins and the Gryffindors covered their eyes. The world began to violently spin around and a moment later, Hermione found herself up in the Astronomy Tower.

*           *           *  
  


Neville Longbottom was outside Hogwarts Castle, and it took him a moment before he realized that he was standing on the Lake. The wind was howling violently and the snow bothered his vision. He shook his head in an effort to get rid of the dizziness in him. 

"Of all the Gryffindors, I had to be paired up with you," Blaise Zabini snickered in front of him. He was shaking his head too, apparently dizzy from the Line. 

"Don't think you're lucky, Zabini!" Neville screamed at him, although he was shaking all over in the cold.

"Let's fight," he drawled. "_Crucio_!" 

Neville rolled in the ice just in time as a blue light hit a tree behind him. He had grown up from the fat clumsy boy years ago. A fine crack had formed on the surface of the lake. "_Petrificus_!" Neville cried out, and suddenly Blaise got thrown across the ice. A bigger crack had formed, and the ice cold water sprouted from it. But only his left arm had grown stiff. Blaise only laughed crudely. "You fool! You can't even do it properly!" He aimed at the ice beneath Neville and shouted. "_Dififindoe_!" 

The frozen surface of the lake suddenly cracked open and Neville plunged into the freezing temperature of the Lake.

"Ahh!" Neville screamed, reaching out for something to hold on too. He didn't know how to swim, and he could feel his veins already falling numb from the cold. 

Blaise carefully walked over to Neville who was gradually freezing to death. "Pathetic," he drawled. The Gryffindor could see the vapor coming out of mouth. "You just bored me, Longbottom." He aimed his wand right above Neville's head. "I should have finished you off when you were sleeping." 

Neville's eyes suddenly grew wide in horror as a blinding green light flashed at him. _"Avada Kedavra_!"

And just like that, Neville's body was floating lifelessly on the lake.

*           *           *

"Ahhh!" Hermione screamed in pain as she got thrown across the Astronomy Tower. Pansy Parkinson was bleeding from her head, but she didn't mind. She was finally going to kill the mudblood that started it all. But the Gryffindor was too fast for her. Hermione muttered a Blasting Curse and sent Pansy flying across the other side of the room. 

"_Crucio_!" Pansy yelled and Hermione jumped out of the way. But the Slytherin girl had earlier gotten rid of the wall that prevented the students from falling off the Tower with a Reductor Curse. Hermione had lost her balance and was now hanging from the ledge with her fingers, more that fifty feet from the ground. The moon was shining brightly as there were other students fighting below her. _Maybe it was a good day to die_, she thought as her fingers began to slip.

But Pansy caught Hermione and reached out to grab her brown curls. "I am not going to lose you that easily!" 

Hermione howled in pain. Pansy sat on her stomach and banged her head on the stone floor. "You stole Draco form us! You stole the House Cup!"

She began to feel dizzy once more but had the presence of mind to remember that she was still holding her wand in her hand. Forcing herself to give Pansy a victorious smile, she aimed right across her heart. "_Stupefy_!"

"Ahhhh!"  Pansy shrieked as she got thrown off Hermione and over the ledge. She heard her scream until there was no more. Grabbing her head that was now wet with blood, she carefully looked down to where Pansy had landed. The Slytherin lay eagle-sprawled on the ground.

"_Bitch_," Hermione mumbled.

*           *           *

"Oh come on Hiram, you can do better than that! _Crucio_!"

A blue light escaped from Draco's wand as the curly haired Gryffindor wriggled in pain. He lazily ran a hand through his silver hair as the boy tried to stand up.

"It's Ivan, you bastard," he gritted his teeth. "_Diffindoe_!"

Draco suddenly grabbed his stomach as blood seeped through his thick robes. The stupid Gryffindor had tried to cut open his guts out. "Impressive," he drawled as he clutched himself. "Now we really begin. _Accio_!"

He pointed to the cabinet of Filch's confiscated things and grabbed a handful of Fireworks and dropped them on the floor. Everything exploded with a deafening sound, and the smoke made everything blurry. 

Ivan flung his arms blindly around him. "Show yourself, Malfoy, you fuckin' coward!" Someone tapped his shoulder, and he spun around. He saw the most intense pair of gray eyes he had ever seen. 

"_Mobilicorpus_!" and Ivan was suddenly thrown to the walls, directly to the chains which Filch kept oiled throughout the years. He struggled to get free in vain, and Malfoy only smirked at him. "Any last words?" 

Ivan spat in his face. "Fuck you," he muttered as Draco wiped the spit from below his eyes. "The Gryffindors will still win even if you kill me."

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you," Malfoy drawled as he lifted Ivan's chin with his wand. "I'm saving the joy for later. _Flagrate_, " He aimed right above Ivan's head and drew a line around his body. "The fire will."

And Draco Malfoy turned his back around and walked out the door as Ivan Sternmack screamed inhumanely, his body engulfed in flames. 

*           *           *

"_Mobiliarbus_!" 

The tree where Damien was hiding moved around him and Harry had a clear shot. "_Expelliarmus_!"

Damien Bagerbath's wand flew in the air. "_Accio_!" Harry yelled immediately, and soon he had two wands in his hands.

But Damien only laughed. There was blood running from his nose, and it seemed frozen since they were outside, in the Forbidden Forest. "Go ahead, Potter! Do your worst! It's the least I can do for a pathetic soul like you!"

Harry kept his aim over his heart. Damien was a good fighter, but he didn't want to give him too much credit for that. "What are you talking about?"

"Your parents are dead, the Great War is over, and you just lost Granger to Malfoy," Damien snickered. "What more have you got to live for?"

"_Crucio_!" Harry cried out, and Damien dropped to the ground, silently enduring the torture. Still, his foe had the strength to chuckle.

"Go ahead, Potter. You miss the adventure do you?" he coughed up blood. "You'll be a sinner just like the rest of us."

"You're wrong, Damien. _Stupefy_!" And the Slytherin lay motionless on the ground. "I'm nothing like you."

*           *           *

Ron was up in the fourth floor and still he could hear the screams coming from both houses. He was in the Library, and different sparks of light flashed from everywhere outside the windows. He wanted to save his housemates, but he was very preoccupied as of the moment.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Goyle cried out as books of different sizes came flying across the room to hit him. 

"Impedimenta!" Ron reacted, and the books halted in midair and dropped to the floor. He conjured a dagger with his wand and threw it to Goyle. The dagger hit his arm, but Goyle simply removed it, without any pain.

"How thick can you get?" Ron exclaimed as he ducked behind Shelf Q-S of Magical Theories before Goyle's hex could reach him. "Stupefy!" He yelled, but Ron missed.

"Stop hiding Weasley!" Goyle grunted as he pointed at the shelf. "Incendio!" Immediately, the shelf caught on fire.

Ron jumped up. "Not the books!" He thought he was going to a shock because all he thought about was how Hermione would react when the Library would turn to be ashes. "_Expelliarmus_!" Goyle's wand flew across the room.

"Crucio!" Ron yelled, and suddenly, Goyle cried out in pain. "Accio wand!" he grunted weakly, and his wand flew back to his hand. Ron slapped his forehead. "Stupid git," he called himself. By now the fire had scattered around them, and the smoke was beginning to suffocate him. 

"Stupefy!" Ron yelled once more as Goyle aimed at the door and cried "_Colloportus_!" 

Goyle had fallen unconscious on the floor, and with an unexpected show of intelligence, managed to lock Ron inside the flaming Library.

*           *           *  
  


"_Tarantellegra_!" 

Millicent Bulstrode's legs began to do a crazy dance and fell on the floor of the trophy room when she had lost her balance. Parvati looked proud with herself as she saw Millicent's huge unlady-like body squirming. She gave her a big smile. "You know, _Millie_, you could look a lot better with the right kind of diet." Millicent's bulging eyes looked up to her. "Screw you, Patil! _Rictusempra_!"   
Parvati suddenly fell on the floor as well as it seemed like a hundred fingers were poking her ribs. A Tickling charm that had gone horribly wrong. She was laughing so hard her lungs couldn't get any oxygen anymore. She tried to gasp for air. The fingers that had started out tickling her were now jabbing painfully into her body.

Millicent pulled herself in a sitting position with her arms, although her legs were still flinging wildly below her. Finally she brought her wand to aim right at Parvati. "Choices, choices," she chuckled. "Now do I leave you here until you run out of breath, or do I make things easier for you?"

Outside more yells and screams could be heard. Parvati's face had begun to turn blue and she violently shook her head. "No?" Millicent's eyes glinted with malice. "Alright then. _Avada Kedavra_!"

Although Parvati's eyes remained wide, there was no fear in them. They were simply empty.

*           *           *

The distant smell of smoke told Hermione to get out of the castle fast. But she wanted to make sure that no one was going to be left behind incase the castle would get caught on fire. It had been sick to think about it, but Hermione transported whatever bodies she could find, either Slytherin or Gryffindor out into the school grounds. The smoke was already choking Hermione and it was already hard to breath. 

She had just passed the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and she had one more flight of stairs to go, but she suddenly bumped into someone and caught her when she almost lost her balance. 

"Hermione," the person gasped.

She lifted her head to see familiar gray orbs looking down at her. But the porcelain pale face that used to accompany these eyes was no covered in dirt and blood. 

"What happened to you?" Draco breathed as he reached out to touch Hermione's blood-stained hair. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Hermione jumped a little as Draco's cold hand brushed her cheek. "I'm going to be fine."

"I've got to get you out of here," Draco grabbed her arm and began to climb down the last marble staircase. 

"No! There are others who need my help!" Hermione struggled to get free from him.

"They don't matter!"

"Yes they do!" Hermione screamed at him. "Don't you see how different we are?" The flames had begun to work its way down to the lower floors and the thick smoke made Hermione's eyes soak in tears. "You'll always be the pureblooded Slytherin, cunning and powerful, and I'll always be the mudblood Gryffindor fighting against you!"

"We've crossed that line already!" Draco shouted at her, clutching her arm. Hermione winced in pain. "We'll work everything else out, trust me! But I am not giving up on you!" 

"I'm going to be okay," she tried to convince him. She wished it were just that easy. Merlin knows how much Draco meant to her. "But why are you doing this?" Hermione cried, giving up on getting free. "You don't love me in the first place!"

Malfoy opened his mouth but before he could answer, he had fallen over the remaining steps of the marble staircase. Seamus Finnegan had thrown a Blasting Curse at him. 

"Draco!" Hermione screamed at the form below the steps of the stairs. But the Slytherin Prince slowly stood up. Hermione spun around to face her housemate. "Seamus please, don't hurt him…"

"Get out of here Hermione!" Draco yelled as she felt herself floating in the air. Seeing that Malfoy didn't have his attention, Seamus suddenly threw a Cruciatus curse at him. Despite the incredible pain, Draco shakily kept his wand aimed at Hermione until she was out of the oak doors. 

*           *           *  
  


Only the night sky could tell the time. Considering the grayness above them, dusk was getting closer, and the War was nearing to its end. Hogwarts amazingly stood as it had always been, except that it was engulfed in flames and the thick smoke was stretching into vastness of the sky. Bodies were lined along each other, some of them were stunned, and the others, well. The others, in another better place. 

Hermione conjured blankets to keep the students safe and put a shielding charm around them. Her bluebell flames kept them warm and cozy. When she was sure that they were out of harm's way, only then did she come back in action.

"It's the Line!"

Someone suddenly screamed and Hermione ran to the direction where the voice was. A red, fiery line glowed on the school grounds and she could see Harry blood-stained and weary, but nevertheless powerful, walking towards the Line. Hermione squinted her eyes in the darkness and finally saw Draco walking in the same direction. His silver blonde hair was clamped with sweat and blood, but he still had the energy. Both wizards were capable of finishing each other off.

"_Stupefy_!" Harry and Draco cursed at the same time. Their wands were in perfect aim with each other and canceled the spell.

"_Crucio_!" Draco yelled but Harry was quicker. "_Impedimenta_!" The blue light slowed down on its path, and Harry had time to roll over the ground and hit Draco with a Blasting Curse.

Draco flew across the sky and Hermione wanted so much to run to him. But someone was holding her back. Hermione turned her head and saw Ron dirty with ash and blood, holding her robes tightly. "Don't. It ends with them."

The snow didn't stop from falling from the sky. The rest of the standing students stopped on their fights to see the leaders facing off. Draco was losing badly. While Harry moved with swiftness, Malfoy moved with grace and they simply clashed with each other. Blaise Zabini was close by, and the Line was still glowing scarlet…

Draco conjured a dagger-edged rope and threw it in order to catch Harry, but the boy-who-lived simply yelled "_Evanesco_!" and the rope was gone. 

"_Expelliarmus_!" This time, Harry was caught off guard and his wand flew in the air. "_Accio_!" Draco cried out, and the wand landed in his left hand. He was not going to win just because Potter was unarmed. He held onto his wand and broke them together, and threw it in the ground. That's when he suddenly lunged himself at Harry.

Both boys were rolling on the snow, right above the red Line as they hit each other continuously. Hermione wanted so much to break them apart, but Ron was right. It ended with them… 

Draco couldn't see through the blood flowing to his eyes but he kept hitting Harry again and again. Finally he got the upper hand and kept punching Harry across the face. His fist was covered with Potter's blood but he didn't care. This was going to end. Suddenly he realized that Harry Potter wasn't hitting back anymore, but he didn't care. He didn't care—

"No! Stop! Please!"

Hermione. Was someone hurting her? He turned his face around and noticed that she was safe in Weasley's arms, but she was crying out to him. 

"Stop hurting him!"

She was telling him to stop. To stop hurting Potter. He looked at Hermione who was being held back by Weasley and back at Potter who was only breathing raggedly. Behind him, he heard Blaise's voice.

"Kill him!"

No, he couldn't. Not when he would give Hermione so much pain. He had to stop. For her. Draco fought the urge to kill him with his bare hands as he finally let go of Harry and he landed on the ground with a thud.

"You saved my life, Potter, and I saved yours," Draco whispered in his ear. "I don't owe you anything anymore."

A bright flash of red light blinded their eyes. It moved fast across the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, enveloping everything in its scarlet light. The world had spun around again, and this time, it hadn't left them dizzy anymore. When they opened their eyes, they found a silver mist forming a serpent hung above the blazing Hogwarts Castle and for a while, Draco thought they had won the war. But then another mist hung in the air, and this time, it formed a lion. The gigantic serpent was slithering around the Castle while the massive lion guarded the front doors of Hogwarts Inferno.

"This war is over!" Draco shouted to everyone as Hermione and Ron ran towards Harry. Everywhere around him, the students dropped to their knees in exhaustion.

"It's over." He looked at Hermione as she cradled Harry in her arms. 

"Thank you," she said softly to him, but Draco only stared back at her.

"I'm hurt too, you know," he drawled at her. "Far worse than you can imagine." He was suffering from a wound she couldn't see, but seeing Hermione wrapping her arms around Harry added insult to injury. He pulled out his mother's pearl earring out of his pockets and before Hermione could say anything, he vanished once again into thin air.

*           *           *

"No!" 

Blaise screamed with fury as neither Potter nor Malfoy had died in the war. This wasn't what he planned at all. Harry, Ron and Hermione were holding each other close, every bit of energy drain from them. They didn't suspect the raven-haired boy creeping up behind them, who was wishing he could kill all three of them in a single curse.

He gathered the remaining of his strength inside him and aimed his wand right in the middle of them. "Avada—"

Suddenly he got thrown into the air and was caught by a man larger than an average person.

"That's enough Mr. Zabini," a strong voice filled the cold, empty dusky air. "The war is over, and I suggest you start helping the others get back inside the castle." The Lion in the castle gave a roar.

The Golden Trio spun around and they breathed a huge sigh of relief when they saw the whole Faculty in their winter robes, with Dumbledore smiling right in the center. 

He opened his mouth and repeated what Malfoy said.

"It's over."

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

Hold your horses, there's still more to come. Thanks to everyone again! Tell me what you think of this, please! Love you all, Ceres Vesta


	14. The Lioness Comes Home

Hey! How are you all? I know it was really cruel to leave you hanging like that for a long time, but I just had to get back to the real world. School, especially. My grades were going down coz all I ever did was write I Hate Everything… haha, well, now I'm back and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout this fiction. The reviewers, the readers, everyone of you! The tips, the notes, everything was deeply appreciated. I mean, I'm thanking you right now for reading this note!

However, before I give you the next chapter, I would like to put a little note about the previous one, The War. I worked really hard for that, researched like crazy on the Harry Potter Lexicon for the whole interior/exterior of Hogwarts Castle, effects and incantations of spells and curses, and so much more. I had an idea of what I was writing, so I know what kind of bird the Ravenclaw Mascot is, **elementaldeity**. **Thanks for correcting me with my grammar, but it's an eagle, not a raven**. The claws, feather and beak tell it so. Plus, there's a picture. Talk to my friend **Plastick Moon**, she's an expert at this. Leave your email add and I'll contact you so I can clear it all up.

I know some of you thought The War sucked, and some of you thought it was too bloody with "unnecessary qualities" (To **the seagull's sister** who said this, I suggest you read on. The story isn't over yet.). I was hoping for an action-packed chapter ONLY, but after you told me how heart wrenching it was, wow. I agree. Poor Draco must feel so bad right now… For now. Argh! Okay, here's the latest chapter! Just read the A/N below, please. Don't forget to review and tell me everything!

To Ayla, Miyashiko, Astrela, and everyone that I made them cry…Shedraconis, this is for you! 

**Chapter Fourteen**

The Lioness Comes Home She was my once in a lifetime 

_Happy ending come true_

_Oh I guess I should have told her_

_I thought she knew. _

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

He disappeared once more in her eyes. That was it. That was the last time he would look at her like that again.

 "What are they doing here?" Hermione asked Ron, still holding Harry in her arms. But Ron could only shrug. 

Each of the faculty members was wearing heavy fur coats with their own style and their faces showed no concern for the bodies that were lined up against the castle walls nor cared for the fact that Hogwarts was engulfed in flames. Harry was breathing normally again and she turned her head to look at the castle. Come to think of it, it was burning for quite sometime now, but it wasn't falling apart.

 "Let me go!" Blaise was helplessly trying to get out of Hagrid's strong hold of his robes, but to no avail. His left arm was hanging by his body like stone and the half-giant was simply laughing at him. 

"He will, Mr. Zabini, once you've stopped moving around so much," Dumbledore calmly told him. He nodded his head to his colleagues and immediately they set out in different directions, some gathering students from the school grounds, others going inside the castle, perfectly unharmed…

_What is going on here_, Hermione thought. She had never thought of the consequences of the war. Dumbledore probably had the papers for Azkaban only all the seventh years had to sign. Hermione suddenly stood up from the ground as Ron helped Harry to his feet. She rushed over to Dumbledore who was smiling warmly at him.

"Professor! I-I can explain everything," her voice was trembling as she looked up to the Headmaster's half-moon spectacles. "I know you put me in charge, but things got so out of hand, and we never meant for anything to happen…"

"Hush, Ms. Granger," he said softly, gently patting her head. "You have nothing to explain to me about." Hermione's heart pounded painfully in her chest. It was worse. They were going to be _expelled_.

"What am I gonna do with this rogue, Professor?" Hagrid grunted from beside him, referring to Blaise still squirming in his arms. 

"Bring him to the Great Hall, along with the rest," Dumbledore answered, giving Hermione a wink. "I believe I'm the one who owes everyone an explanation."

*           *           *           

Hogwarts still stood in tact as the flames cloaked around the walls, while the silver mists of the lion and the serpent were guarding the walls and towers. The smoke was not stinging their eyes anymore, and although there was no heat coming from the fire, Harry, Ron and Hermione ignored this strange event. They were weak, they were tired, and they wanted nothing more than to rest. The Golden Trio made their way to the Great Hall just like everyone else, although it resembled nothing like it when they stepped inside the doors. 

The four long tables that usually greeted them were replaced by four rows of identical hospital beds, and lying on each of them were students, Slytherin and Gryffindor, who were injured from the war. Madame Pomfrey was darting around the Hall undoing any jinxes or hexes, while students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were helping out with the distribution of blankets, pillows and medicine. Hermione saw Padma and Lavender crying together softly by Parvati's bed. It looked like those muggle war movies where soldiers were lying on cots, blanketed by a sort of Floo Powder flame where no one was affected by its heat.

Hermione shook the image out of her head. "Come on, Ron, let's bring Harry there," she pointed to an empty bed beside Parvati's. 

"Can you walk further, mate?" Ron asked him.

There was an enormous amount of blood dripping from his head, but he gave Ron a reassuring wink. "Of course. I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, remember?"

Ron nodded and held his best friend firmly as they went across the room. Eventually, they laid Harry on the bed, and then Ron grabbed two chairs where both he and Hermione could sit. "Bloody hell, is that Goyle?"

Hermione stretched her neck to where he was pointing. Goyle was there, lying on the white bed as if he was in a deep sleep. "Yeah, that's him," she turned back to look at her best friend. "What's the matter, Ron?"

Ron slowly shook his head. "That's funny… I was fighting him up in the Library, and he was the one who set the castle on fire. I knew I left him unconscious when I escaped from it," he frowned at Hermione. "Goyle should have been burnt beyond recognition by now."

The seats on the High Table in front of them were slowly being filled with the faculty and the gloomy murmur that resided in the Great Hall hushed as Dumbledore faced the crowd of seventh year students and faculty below him.

"My dear students and fellow teachers, before anything else, please take my word for it that your friends, brothers and sisters are all in good hands. There is no need to worry. But before I do anything, let me tell you a story about a prophesy, nay, a legend, about two of the great founders of Hogwarts, Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor." He paused for a while, making sure that each person in the Great Hall was listening to him, heavy hearted. "A thousand years ago, these two men were the best of friends, and legend has it that they were inseparable, despite the great difference between them. The only thing they had in common was their thirst for knowledge. When they met Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw, they decided to build a school for young wizards and witches, and we all know what that school is. Unfortunately, that was when Salazar and Godric started seeing everything differently. They could hardly compromise when they had opposing views, especially with the kind of witches and wizards Salazar wanted to admit at Hogwarts. They grew distant, and eventually, despised one another."

Hermione looked over at Ron, wondering where Dumbledore was getting at. 

"Now what isn't included in your history textbooks is that Salazar and Godric got married to two beautiful women and had a child of their own. Salazar had a boy named Seth, and Godric, a girl he called Gaia. These two children had fallen in love with each other, but they kept it secret from their parents until both of them were of the right age to marry. When Godric was told of this news, he could not accept that his daughter be married to the son of his mortal enemy, and the same for Salazar. He forbade his son to ever see Gaia again, and both parents arranged for their marriage with another person. And so Seth and Gaia ran away from home, but they both knew that their fathers were powerful, and they could be easily found anywhere they hide. Who knew what punishment lay ahead for them. They would rather be dead than to live without each other's love. So they killed themselves, knowing that only in their deaths would they truly belong to each other. 

"This brought a curse on the two houses of Hogwarts. Cassandra Trelawney, a very famous Seer in her time, had a prophecy that the mutiny between Slytherins and Gryffindors would be put to an end, only by means of a war. For years we have cautiously waited for this to happen, with sadness in our hearts, I assure you, and it was only days ago that this prophecy had been confirmed. So I knew that I had to act. Did you think your old Headmaster would abandon you? I left with the whole Faculty so the future would take its course, and fate to simply happen. But we didn't leave all of you with nothing. When I addressed the Great Hall before we left the other day, your professors and I cast protective charms at all of you, without your knowing of course. You were being kept safe by our spells so nothing could harm you, whatever curse your opponent cast."

"But, Professor Dumbledore, what about the Killing Curse?" Hermione suddenly said amidst the silence that loomed in the Great Hall. "I know there are no counter curses for that."

"Of course, Ms. Granger, but have you forgotten your fourth year already? When Professor Moody taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, he told your class that one has to have a lot of practice in order to produce a successful Killing Curse. Students your age aren't even capable of giving another person a nosebleed," he smiled at her as Hermione looked apprehensively at the bodies that lay still on the beds. "They are merely sleeping, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore reassured not only her, but also the whole room. "The physical war is definitely over, but these constant battles in your mind, and in you _heart_, is nearly gone." Hermione could have sworn Dumbledore winked at her.

At this moment, Professor Flitwick cleared his throat. 

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling behind his spectacles. "Professor Flitwick was kind enough to roam around the castle and retrieve any broken wands and mended them. Fortunately, these wands know their masters well, so to all of you who have lost them, please hold out your hands… Professor Flitwick, if you may?"

They tiny wizard nodded his head cheerfully and opened the big pouch of wands he was carrying. Harry who was lying down on the bed opened his palm. "_Porcio wands_!" he squeaked, then suddenly all the wands flew back to their owners. Harry grinned as his wand rested back on his palm. Holy, eleven inches, with a single phoenix feather.

"Excellent!" Ron exclaimed. "You've got it back!" He looked over at Hermione, expecting to say something but frowned when he saw the expression on her face. "What's wrong, Hermione?"

Although she never held her hand up, a wand was resting on her fingers, a wand that didn't belong to her but she knew to whom it did. "This isn't mine…" she said softly as she looked at Professor Flitwick. But the Charms teacher only gave her a wink.

Dumbledore gazed at the orange sky beyond the windowpanes of the Great Hall. "The sun is rising, and I wish a new start shall rise along with it. As I have said countless of times before, we are stronger only if we are together. This war shall not be spoken of ever again, and a statue shall stand in the school grounds to remind ourselves of the unity we have long aspired not only between Slytherin and Gryffindor, but also among the four Houses of Hogwarts," he paused, and a thin smile spread across her face. "Seeing I have nothing more to say, I think it is time to wake our sleeping friends up…"

Hermione was no wiser than any student now that things were happening that she couldn't comprehend anymore. She stared at the Headmaster as he raised his arms in the air, wand in his right hand. His aged lips moved, barely open, as he muttered an age-old incantation in front of them. Suddenly a silver light escaped from his wand, brighter than any Patronus she had ever seen and shot out into the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. One by one, the other professors did the same thing, until these beams of light met at the center and blinded everyone with its brilliant glow.

Hermione shielded her eyes as she felt the cold winter air blowing against her, and all of a sudden, everything was calm and quiet. When she opened her eyes, she could only gasp at what she saw. The castle was no longer burning; it stood as if a war had never been fought before. She could no longer hear the soft growl of the lion nor the hissing of the misty serpent. And best of all, the cries of joy from her fellow classmates released the heavy feeling that was inside her, for Parvati suddenly stirred in her slumber, as well as Neville, Ivan, Goyle, Pansy, and all the others who had momentarily lost their lives in the war. She looked over at her best friends, and all three of them were awed beyond words.

Over at the other bed, tears of joy were flowing down Lavender's eyes as her best friend awoke at last. "Did you see?" she asked Padma.

"Yeah," Parvati's sister nodded her head as she squeezed her twin's hand, and gave her a smile. "They've come back."

*           *           *           

"Draco! Oh my Lord, what happened?"

Narcissa clasped her hands on her mouth as he saw her only son shaking by the door, his robes covered entirely in blood. She wasn't expecting him to come back so soon. "Get inside, before you freeze to death."

She helped Draco enter the Mansion, but it wasn't easy since he was towering above her mother now. "Dimsy! Jinky! Perky!" she called out to the three head of house-elves of their home. "Come here immediately!" 

Draco's knees gave up and sent him and his mother on the cold marble floor of the mansion. His silver hair had fallen over her dark gray eyes and he was trembling uncontrollably.

"Draco, please, tell your me what happened!" Narcissa repeated, brushing away the silver locks that covered his son's face.

_"I lost her, mother,_" he whispered, and fell unconscious in her arms.

*           *           *

Days went by, and Christmas was finally in the air. Hogwarts was adorned with hundreds of Christmas balls, wreaths, and a huge amount of fake snow frosted the banisters, the classrooms and the windows. After everyone had recovered from the war, Hogwarts spent the last few days of vacation with merriment and festivity. Although no one had really lost their lives, it was a traumatic experience nonetheless, and everyone was determined not to let the past affect their future, especially now that their N.E.W.T.'s is just around the corner. 

Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting by the couches in the Common Room, eagerly opening their Christmas presents. Some of their housemates were already down in the Great Hall enjoying a breakfast of leftover Christmas Eve dinner while the others had settled for an early snowball fight in the school grounds. The fireplace comforted the Golden Trio as they heartily munched down on their Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (Special Limited Edition), which Ron had given to Harry and Hermione, and unsurprisingly, to himself.

"You've got to be kidding me Hermione," Ron said. "It's Christmas and you've got to put that's bloody book down!"

But Hermione never left her eyes from the book.

"Here," Harry eagerly handed a little red box fastened with a golden bow to his best friend who was sitting by the fireplace.

Hermione looked up from her copy of _Aris, Luna et Stella_ Lupin had given to her. "Wow, what is it?" she asked as she reached for the gift.

"Open it and see," Harry winked, and shared glances with Ron.

Hermione lifted the book from her lap and released the bow that tied Harry's gift. She gasped in surprise as the object shined with her reflection. It looked old, and the glass was almost broken, but it was more than just a hand-mirror. It was the mirror Sirius had given to Harry. 

"We reckon it might help you see how nasty your face gets, everytime you tell us we're breaking 'at least fifty school rules'," Ron teased between bites of his mother's angel cake, mocking Hermione's voice in perfect imitation. She threw an empty pack of Chocolate Frog at him. 

"All you have to do is look at it and call my name whenever you need me, and I'll be there," Harry smiled at her, his brilliant green eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

"Harry, I don't think I can…" Hermione said softly, shaking his head. "I mean, Sirius gave this to you…"

"Sirius would have wanted us to look out for each other," he got up from the couch and sat beside Hermione on the floor. "Besides, I've got other stuff that belongs to him back in Lupin's place. I know this time it will be put to use, instead of being neglected back in fifth year. I mean, if I hadn't forgotten about it…" His voice faded away as he slowly bent his head. Ron sat beside them on the floor as Hermione placed her hand oh Harry's shoulder. He looked deeply into her eyes. "Please Hermione, take it."

She stared at him for a while, realizing the beauty of those emerald orbs only now. "Thanks, Harry," she smiled at him. "I'll take care of this, I promise."

"Well, now," Ron cleared his throat, before his two best friends could melt away. "I guess that leaves us with one last gift to open!"

Harry broke away from his gaze at Hermione, arranging his thoughts back in order. _Control yourself, Potter_, he thought. _Now is not the time to get lost in her eyes._

"And let's see who's it for!" Ron squinted his eyes to read the note on a black package tied with a silver string. "_To Hermione_…" he read, and frowned. "That's all it says." He turned the package around to find another card.

"Let me see that," Hermione grabbed the quite heavy package from Ron's hands. She stared at the elegant cursives on the fine paper, and slowly her lips formed into a knowing smirk.

"Who's it from?" Ron asked.

"_Draco_," she breathed.

Harry clenched his teeth. He watched as Hermione brushed her finger on the package's surface, her eyes getting somewhat lost in her own world. Memories, about what she used to have with Malfoy. Had she forgotten already that she was staring dreamily into _his_ eyes only moments ago? Her lips parted in amazement as she lifted a sparkling necklace in her fingers, a choker-like necklace with a sliver serpent curving down as a pendent. 

"Merlin's beard, Hermione!" Ron gasped. "I bet that costs a lot more than my family's broomsticks put together!"

"Of course not, Ron," Harry said, although he couldn't stop thinking if it was.

"Doesn't matter anyway," Hermione sighed, putting the necklace back inside the box. "I'm returning it to him when he comes back."

"Have you gone daft?" Ron shouted at her. "Give it to _me_! At least I can have it exchanged for a few thousand galleons!" 

"_Ron_!" Harry hissed at his best friend. Hermione ran a hand through her coffee curls and he immediately noticed the sadness in her eyes. "I know it's hard, getting over him," he said gently.

She chuckled softly. "You have no idea." Ron opened his mouth to say something funny, but closed it when he realized that they were in a serious mode now. 

"It's just wasn't meant to be, I guess," Hermione shrugged. "But I can't help thinking. He told me he was in love with me, and yet, when I asked him if he _loved_ me, he…" she shook her head and smiled weakly. "He just said that he wanted me safe."

Ron put his arm around Hermione's trembling shoulder. "I know what you and Malfoy had meant a lot to you, but maybe it was just a spur of the moment type of thing. You used to _hate_ each other, and all that couldn't just go a way by these staring contest you had with him at the start of term. He's the same git we used to know six years ago." Hermione bit her lip, deciding not to tell her friends about Draco's confession once when he told her it all started at the Yule Ball. "And let's not forget he nearly killed Harry during the war."

She bent her head, speaking softly to them. "Nearly, but _didn't_, right?"

Harry sighed heavily and reached out to squeeze Hermione's hand. "But you were also hurt and he left you like that. He abandoned you right after he knew that they had somehow won the war." He lifted her chin up and gave her a smile. "There are others out there, better than him. Others who will treat you right, like a princess you deserve to be, and _never_ leave you."

She kept quiet. They had no idea how it was like after the war. How each place she went, each thing she saw, how everything reminded her of Draco. 

*           *           *

Draco stared at the rectangular scarlet box adorned with a green satin sash around it, one of the two gifts that had found its way at the foot of his bed that Christmas morning. _To Draco: Merry Christmas, From Hermione_. His fingers maneuvered the ribbon and let it fall to the floor. His heart was beating intensely as he opened the box, not knowing what to expect. But his mouth parted in surprise at what he saw. An ebony wand, made with a single unicorn hair, gleamed at him.

"Hermione, you clever witch," he breathed as he picked it up and waved it in the air. "_Lumos_," he chanted, then a bright light, overdoing the morning radiance that came from his windows, lighted up his room. "_Nox_," he mumbled. Suddenly his room was back to a dull glow. _Perfect_, he thought.

Another green package was lying on the bed. Draco frowned as he took it in his hands and unwrapped it. An ancient brown notebook with its pages yellow with age showed itself after hiding from the wrapping. Sewed with black stitches at the cover was the name _Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart_. He flipped through the pages and instead of being filled with words and pictures, rows and rows of musical notes and grand clefs stared back at him. Written in smooth cursives at the first page was a penmanship he had memorized by heart.

_To My Dearest Draco_

_Merry Christmas! I was supposed to give you a book about Quidditch but I completely fell in love with this the moment I saw this on a shelf. I thought Mozart was only a muggle composer. Turns out he was a half-blood, and he used his wizard name Amadeus. No wonder his music was enchanting! No pun intended. Oh I forgot, pun is a muggle term. I'll explain it to you when I can, and everything else about my world! Anyway, you're very talented, Draco, and I hope this could bring out that hidden gift within you. Maybe next time, you could play for me… Oh, I must go. Harry and Ron are waiting for me outside the shop. I don't know what's going on, I only saw you over an hour ago at the Hospital Wing, but I miss you already. Oh well._

_Yours,_

_Hermione_

He stared at the book in his hands, replaying in his mind that day, when Hermione had said that she was in love with him. Her damp hair, her scent, the veins that appeared in her neck when she was screaming at him…He chuckled softly and placed it back on his bed. _Mine. She was mine for a few moments, and I just let her slip away. All because I couldn't tell her that I love her. _

He got up and grabbed his coat. He couldn't take the warmth inside his room and made his way downstairs, out into the vastness of the Malfoy Mansion. Everything was covered with snow, and Draco inhaled deeply as he appreciated the beauty in front of him. He always loved winter. Somehow he'd taken comfort in the freezing weather, knowing that nothing could be colder than his heart. The heart that used to constantly deny that he was in love with a clever, witty, beautiful mudblood. _No_, he corrected himself. _A clever, beautiful witch._

_"Do you love me, Draco?"_

Out there, all alone, Draco could almost feel Hermione hugging him, embracing him with a tender warmth that could only come from her heart. _I should have confessed everything to her_. "I love you, Hermione!" He yelled at the top of his voice, almost begging to hear her answer. "I love you…" But all he could listen to was the sound of his echoes, probably for all eternity.

_Don't be foolish, Malfoy. Do you think she'd take a murderer back in her life again? And after what you did to her best friend_? The wind was blowing softly against his silver-blonde hair as he bent his head and shut his eyes. Images of Hermione cradling Harry in her arms stung his heart like a thousand needles. He opened them once more, and stared at the horizon.

"Wish you were here, Hermione."

*           *           *  
  


"Wait up!"

Hermione quickly wiped away a tear that had fallen from her eye. She stopped just infront of the oak doors of the Castle as Ron came running after her, breathless, with his face almost as red as his hair.

"I didn't know you could run so fast!" Ron exclaimed, grabbing the wall for support. "All those close call rule-breaking really paid up."

She looked up at him. "Why did you follow me? I told you I just wanted to take a walk outside for a while." Ron was almost two heads taller than her, and she tried hard to keep contact with his eyes.

"What's the matter? Trying to catch the school grounds before they disappear?" He winked at his best friend and sighed deeply. "Look, Hermione, I know you're going through a lot, but you know I'm not good at this lovey dovey thing…"

"Just tell me what you have to say, Ron," Hermione told him. 

He took a deep breath. "Harry's been in love with you ever since you gave him a kiss back in first year before he got the Sorcerer's Stone. Of course he only told me this after he made sure that I was over you, but let's not go to that," he said quickly as Hermione's face contorted. "I take your work for it that Malfoy has changed, but don't you think he might have changed _back_ at the start of the war here? No offense or anything, but once a git, always a git." He smiled weakly and looked at her straight in the eye. "Harry is the one for you, Hermione. He'd never leave you and make you so sad and vulnerable. I'm not just saying this so I could finally stop those nights when he'd talk nonstop about you, although that is an upside here. Now wait a minute. What's my point again?" Ron paused, frowning for a while. "I just want my best friend happy. Both of them."

Hermione stared back at him. One minute, her life was boring and predictable. Her grades were close to perfect, a line was distinctly drawn between friends and enemies, and once in a while, she'd get points from extra credit. Now her final year in Hogwarts wasn't over yet, and already she'd gotten herself into a war fell in love with an enemy, and might probably earn the title "Gryffindor Bitch and Brains" after breaking her best friend's heart. 

"Look, Ron, I'm sorry…" She whispered as she turned her back at him. "I just really have to think."

*           *           *  
  


"_Beneath this stone a war was ended._

_Above this stone let all be reminded_

_We are stronger only when together."_

Hermione traced the detailed body of the statue of a serpent sliding around the huge stone on the school grounds. A great eagle was perched on top of it while a badger stood by the stone, with a lion lying beside it. This little brass monument was brought up right after the war was declared over by Dumbledore. It stood over the place where the Line was last seen, right over the place where Draco and Harry fought the final battle. 

_Well both of them were stubborn. _They wouldn't listen to her telling them to stop hurting each other. She sighed deeply. _Books are definitely not going to help me_, she thought as she tucked her brown locks behind her ear and sniffed. She lifted her head to gazed at the horizon, remembering the time when Draco had appeared in the blizzard before the war. His hair, his robes, his eyes… _Oh, I'm still in love with him_! Her mind screamed at her.  _Zabini is going to get what he deserves. People should know by now what I'm capable of_. She smiled inwardly as Rita Skeeter's Animagus form inside a jar came into her mind. 

Just then, something twinkling in the snow caught Hermione's attention. _What's that_? She frowned as she got up and walked a little bit further from the monument. An old pearl earring adorned with gold and silver gleamed amidst the snow. She bent down and picked it up. "Someone must've dropped this," she told herself as she put the earring inside her pocket, her fingers never leaving the jewelry. "I should probably get inside by now."

But she never got inside. Her world began to spin so violently that she lost her balance. Strong arms caught her before she could fall to the ground. A beautiful house, silver hair and suddenly the most amazing gray eyes she had ever seen.  

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

Author's Notes1:

I need your say in this. I've been thinking of changing the title of I Hate Everything About You to "**Imoermissus Amado**" (The correct Latin of my Impermissus Amado. Thanks **evilqueen07**!), because the story has gone a long way from the song by 3days grace. Plus, I've already got plans for a sequel. Please tell me what you think!

Also, I've got beta-readers, **Blaise** and **Pepermint_Updates**, who are doing a wonderful job in editing my fic so it could be posted it **Fiction Alley**. Thanks a lot!

This story is almost over, I've probably got one or two more chapters to go. Then it's resting time, and who knows. Maybe if you give me a chance, there'll be a **Part II**. 

Thanks to each and everyone of you for sticking with me and giving me all the inspiration I need. *tear* hehe.

Author's notes 2:

SETH: Greek form of Egyptian Set or Setekh, which possibly meant "pillar" or "dazzle". Evil Egyptian god of chaos, slayer of Osiris

GAIA: Means "earth" in Greek. In Greek Mythology, Gaia was the mother goddess who presided over the earth.

ARIS, LUNA ET STELLA: Sun, Moon and Stars. Someone help me out if my translation is wrong!

PORCIO: Something I made up. Since Accio retrieves something, Por (Spanish for "FOR", I guess) gives something back. Porcio. Get it? Hehe

Marius is the character in her vampire chronicles. (Interview is the first book) He made Lestat (Thanks **Satanic-Purple-Onion**!) 

Whew. It's almost done. Damn, I'm nervous…Don't forget to review and leave your email add if you ask a question or anything. Thanks again! **Ceres Vesta**


	15. Away From His World

IMPORTANT: I've decided not to change the title of my story. My heart is too close to it. Hehe. 

So sorry! Been busy as hell! But now I've got the time to update! Yay! Thanks so much to the touching reviews! You guys always make my day. Sigh, two more chapters to go, I think. I really like your reaction to this story. I can't say how much I appreciate your thoughts and reactions to this. 

_To Riyo18, Lucki Me, PinkBrat, the hope conspiracy, DarkAngel323, ___xobabyxo_, DKC, and Seraph Serpent.___ Chapter Fifteen 

**Away From His World**

"Draco?"

She appeared out of nowhere, like a mirage, but he caught her before she could fall to the ground. He couldn't believe it. Her brown curls were flowing in the air and all he could think about was how to stay in this dream. He didn't know what he was thinking as he brought his face closer and closer to her and suddenly gave Hermione a deep and passionate kiss, pouring out all his hidden emotions inside. His hand snaked its way to the back of Hermione's neck, closing any minute gaps left between them. 

His lips were soft and warm despite the cold weather, and although she wanted nothing more than to be this way forever, Hermione knew they had to stop. She brought her arms to Draco's lean chest and gently pulled herself away from him. 

_His eyes flickered, then he knew.  _"What are you doing here?" he drawled, the hurt covered with a blank expression on his face. 

But her heart spoke first before she could stop. "You left me back there, Draco. How could you do that to me?" She gazed into his pale eyes like she never had in a long time before. How could something so beautiful be filled with so much sadness?

Draco remained staring blankly at her. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

Hermione closed her eyes and willed her feelings to go away. "This," she said weakly as Draco let go of her. She held up the pearl earring with her fingers and tried not to look at his eyes. "It was lying on the school grounds when I found it." 

Draco stared at the jewelry in Hermione's hand. "That's Blaise's," he frowned. "What are you doing with my mother's earring?"

The coldness in his voice pierced through her skin. "I didn't know it was your mother's. But how did I… _of course_… it's a portkey…" she said slowly. "Something your mother gave to your new brother."

"I guess you heard what Blaise called me before the war started," Draco smirked as he turned his back at her. "Bravo, _Granger_. Something solved within a minute. Very impressive." 

"He must have dropped it when he was breaking free from—" Hermione stopped in mid-sentence and gaped at him. "What did you just call me?" Her heart was throbbing against her thick coat as she stared at the back of Draco's head. 

But he never looked at her. "The same name you've been using all your life."

"Now what the hell has gotten into you?" Hermione screamed as she put her hands on her hips. 

_How should I know_, Draco thought as he kept looking at the horizon of the snow covered Manor. Here she was, the woman he wanted most, and the woman he knew he'd never have. _What am I supposed to do_? _Go back to hating the girl I love and keep pretending_--- SMACK!

He was so lost in his own thoughts he didn't see Hermione's hand slap him right across his face, waking up the nerves at his right cheek. His hair had fallen over his eyes as his head twisted in the other direction. 

"_You unbelievable… selfish…"_

He turned his face around as Hermione shook her head, probably not knowing where to start. "Save your breath Hermione, and just follow me," he said and immediately set forth to a cabin east from where they were standing from, ignoring the slight stinging sensation on his face.

 "Oh, I'm not through with you yet!" She shouted, trying to keep up with him. "Where are we going?"

"To the stables," he called out. "Reckon if I'd get some serious scolding from you, might as well be somewhere where I won't freeze my ass off."

Hermione grumbled as she walked quicker. Sometimes she asked herself how on earth was she still in love with someone as despicable as him. "If Dumbledore hadn't cured the students so fast, I would have probably stayed at the Great Hall helping out and not find that stupid earring and get stuck here with—"

Suddenly Draco grabbed her arm as they halted a few feet from the stables. "Dumbledore's back?"

"Well, yes," she told him in a know-it-all manner. "With the whole faculty, of course."

"What did he say?" he asked, not leaving her cinnamon eyes. "What's going to happen to us? To me?"

"_To you_?" she echoed.

"Hermione, I practically killed the whole Gryffindors!" he yelled, roughly squeezing her arm. "Not to mention setting the castle on fire!"

"You're hurting me," she complained as he eased his grip on her, but not letting go. "No one died, Draco."

His eyes sparkled as a huge relief surged up his body, though his face wore confusion nonetheless. "How did that happen?" He asked as he let go of Hermione's arm and motioned for them to walk to the stables.

She explained to Draco everything Dumbledore had said as they walked on the snow. Draco couldn't believe that it was all part of something foreseen, and he couldn't wait to find out the rest of what was supposed to happen. 

"So the battles are not over, eh?" he said when she was finished.

"That's what he said," Hermione answered him.

He banged open the wooden doors and immediately the winter air was filled with the scent of a handful of stallions standing by their stables, and a few owls perched on different places. 

"Master Malfoy!"

Dimsy was standing in a dark corner, head bowed down at the sight of his master and clutching himself in the cold weather. Hermione gasped at the poor house-elf, who was dressed in nothing but a worn-out pillowcase, much alike as Dobby wore back in second year. "Come here, little fellow," she motioned for him to sit on her lap. Dimsy whimpered and stepped back.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the Mansion cleaning or something?" Draco asked him.

"Don't use that tone at him!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Oh, Dimsy is doing an errand for Mistress Malfoy, sir," the house-elf shakily said, his teeth chattering. "Mistress Malfoy told Dimsy not to leave the stables until Luciferus comes back."

"_Luciferus_?" Hermione asked Draco.

"My mother's owl." 

Suddenly there was a loud hoot coming from behind them. Both Hermione and Draco turned around and saw a black eagle-owl, perched on top of a brass stand, drinking water from a gold-plated dish.

"Brisbane?" Draco breathed.

The eagle owl stood there, holding up his beak in the air like a dignified Malfoy pet and hooted whimsically in response.

"_Son of a bitch_," he cursed. "I thought I told you to stay at Hogwarts?" He asked the bird as it gently nipped on his fingers. "Why'd you come back so soon?"

"Um," she cleared her throat. "You see, that's something I've been meaning to tell you…" Hermione said slowly, biting her lip. "Draco, Brisbane never left your house."

He turned around and raised his eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"

She walked over to Dimsy and knelt down in front of him. "I think you should go back to the mansion, Dimsy, and tell Mrs. Malfoy not to expect Luciferus anymore."

The house-elf's big round eyes looked quizzically at her. "But Mistress Malfoy said…"

"Then just go back and sit in front of a fire," she told him, gently. "That's what your Master Malfoy wants." Dimsy's eyes watered with tears before he turned around and ran to the Mansion, as quickly as his tiny trembling legs could carry him.

"You can't just order my house-elf around like that!" Draco yelled when he was gone. 

"It wasn't Brisbane at the Head Room, Draco," Hermione explained as she slowly got up and looked at him straight in the eye. "It was Zabini's owl, Grimoire."

He opened his mouth to say something but Hermione kept talking. "Blaise bought it from Diagon Alley and trained it to act like your owl, to intercept Luciferus and kill it…"

"How did you know all this?" He yelled at her, pacing around the stables trying to gain composure to himself. How could his brother do this to him?

""He said so himself…" she replied softly. "Right before he attacked me…"

"What…"

He couldn't breathe. His feet carried him to Hermione whose eyes were downcast upon her shoes. He hesitated to bring her arms around her frail body, wondering if she might just push him away. But Hermione leaned out and buried her face on Draco's thick black coat, her arms around his strong waist. He inhaled the familiar scent of her hair and marveled the feeling of how her head fit perfectly on his chest. "Why didn't you tell me before, Hermione?"

"I'm sorry," she replied, sighing deeply. "I didn't want you to find out." She could almost feel their heart beating as one. "I was so ashamed of myself…"

"_Shh_," Draco patted her soft brown curls and lifted her chin to gaze into her eyes. "Stop. You have nothing to be ashamed of; I'm the one who should be sorry." He lifted her chin so he could take a better look at her. "Blaise Zabini is going to pay for this."

"What are you going to do, Draco?" 

His eyes glared into nothingness. "_I'm going to kill him_."

*           *           *

Draco and Hermione swiftly ran back to the Mansion, going through all the papers that were filed in the cabinets or spread across Narcissa Malfoy's study table. She was downstairs spending the whole day at their library again, which is what she normally does when she has free time. 

"What are we looking for again?"

"Adoption papers with that bastard's name on it," Draco answered as he flipped through the parchments labeled Gringotts Account. "Nobody fucks with a true Malfoy, not even bastards like him."

"Last time I remember, that bastard had a name," Hermione said as she lifted folders stacked on top of each other. 

"For what he did to you, he doesn't deserve a name."

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat, but continued looking. A few more minutes passed, and suddenly she was holding a purple envelope with the Zabinis' family name labeled in front of it.

"Found it!" she exclaimed as Draco walked towards her.

"Let's see…" Hermione said as she flipped through the papers. "Business transactions… schedules… debts… Here's Blaise Zabini!" She stared at the paper for a while and frowned. "But it doesn't say anything about adoption…"

"Let me see that," Draco leaned forward and got the parchment form Hermione's hand, brushing his fingers against hers as he did so. It was enough to make Hermione dizzy for a moment. He brushed his hair away from his eyes and read out loud.

"_Certificate of Wizarding Custody_

_This is to certify that Blaise Marcelino Zabini has completed his two-month course _

_of rehabilitation at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and is _

_ready to go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Mme. Healer Wichita Wimble_

_SMHMMI, Head of Spell Damages Department_."

"And that's not all," Hermione gasped, reading from St. Mungo's Records. "_Blaise Marcelino Zabini, Patient No. 002262. Case: Severe Trauma and Mental Illness. Proven to have an obsession with war and bloodshed, possibly brought by the massacre of his family_… oh my god, Draco…"

"So that caused the big change," he breathed as he put down the parchment. "He went insane after the first war…"

Her fingers were trembling as she laid the parchment down on the table. Her heart was beating a hundred times per second as she connected the pieces of the puzzle. "_War and bloodshed_… And that's the reason why he challenged Harry. Obviously he takes pleasure in killing other people, seeing them die, covered with blood… It wasn't because he hated the Gryffindors, he just wanted it…"

 "I should have known all of this," Draco muttered as he glared at the paper. "_Mother_ should have known all of this before adopting that bastard."

"Well you have to tell her soon then," Hermione replied walking to the doorway of Narcissa's study. "I'd hate to see just how screwed up the Malfoy Family will be, if that could possibly worsen."

Draco had his back turned to her as he put the papers to their place. "What would you expect from a house with a Death Eater for a father?" He heard Hermione's laughter as he continued cleaning up their mess. 

"Oh my goodness!" She gasped as she traced the delicate carvings of wooden door of the study. "Do you realize how hard a wizard worked for this just to get paid with only twelve sickles a week? And just so filthy rich people like you could---MMPH!"

"Well go on, Hermione," Draco snickered as he put the last folder in place. "I believe you were saying something about filthy rich… people…"

She was gone.

Suddenly the doorway where she was standing a few minutes ago was now empty, and Draco suddenly grabbed his newly repaired wand from his coat pocket. "_Hermione_?" he called out, but no one answered. Something was definitely wrong. The floor creaked as he slowly walked forward, preparing himself for the unexpected, wand aimed at nothing but air. "Hermione!" he yelled once more.

"Step back, Malfoy!"

Finally she appeared from outside the doorway, her chest rising and falling in quick breaths while a silver dagger was placed right above her delicate throat. A letter M was engraved on the blade right above the sheath. With her white sweater and the knife shining at him, she looked beautiful at a dagger's edge. Literally.

"Get your hands off her," Draco growled.

*           *           *

Blaise Zabini smirked from behind Hermione, one hand gripping the dagger tightly while his other arm was wrapped around her small waist. Together they moved forward, back inside the study. Draco kept his wand aimed at Zabini's head.

"Keep wishing, brother," he sneered at him, his pale blue eyes glinting. "I didn't wait a long time for this just so you could order me around."

Draco squeezed his wand tighter. "It's going to be okay, Hermione."

"Oh, isn't that fuckin' sweet," Blaise drawled as a thin red line appeared on Hermione's neck. "This is just beautiful, a boy and a girl forbidden to fall in love for each other, killed by the person they least expected."

"How did you get here?" Draco questioned him. "Hermione has your portkey."

"Oh I have plenty of other ways to get here," Zabini smirked at him, his cold pale-blue eyes glinting behind his long fringes.

Draco gritted his teeth, his mind racing. "Why are you doing this?"

"I believe your mudblood right here solved a few things for us, hasn't she?" his lips formed into a smirk as he kept eye contact with Malfoy. "_Brought by the massacre of his family_. Sad, isn't it? My family died because your father couldn't do a perfectly simple job for the Dark Lord!"

Hermione's eye grew bigger at the mention of Voldemort's title. She had to think of something fast. Her arms were jammed behind her, and her wand was in her pocket. She remembered how Harry used to say that he could perform wandless magic, setting a snake lose once, or doing other stuff to his cousin Dudley before he got accepted at Hogwarts. Though he heart was beating loudly and painfully, she shut her eyes and concentrated on retrieving the wand from her pocket, hopelessly wishing for the impossible.

"You're just like your father, Draco," Blaise spat. "Thinking you can boss everyone around, expecting them to gravel at your feet."

"I treated you like my brother!"

"Shut up, if you want your precious mudblood to live longer!" he threatened, increasing the pressure on the dagger. A single trail of blood flowed down Hermione's throat.

"Stop it!" Draco yelled at him.

But Blaise only laughed. "Pity, a powerful Malfoy with the weakness for a filthy mudblood."

His chest was heaving but Draco kept quiet.

"Now before I went to the task of killing our _dear Hermione_—" he purred his name as he brought his tongue out and licked her ear. She growled angrily at him while Draco could only clench his fists. "—I told myself to have a little fun first. Thus, the school war. I congratulated myself for doing a job well done, finding the Gryffindor list of passwords after your _bitch_ knocked me out cold. The night of your departure, _brother_, I went inside the Gryffindor Towers, and decided to kill that Longbottom fellow. Reckon those pathetic Gryffindors would be up for a war if one of them got killed. Too bad though, he woke up before I could take his miserable life."

"So you're the one who tried to kill Neville," Hermione gasped at the revelation.

"Not to mention stealing the Slytherin's Quidditch Trophy," Blaise sneered at her. "The pride and glory of the Serpent's house, had to have it hidden, in case I wanted a war. Now both houses were revved up, inspired, I should say. I only had to challenge Potter before he accepted, and Hogwarts was beautiful with glorious chaos."

Draco stared at him and raised an eyebrow. "You're one sick bastard," he drawled, raising his wand higher. "You know you can't kill me, _brother_."

"Kill you?" He laughed crudely at him. "No. Death is too kind. I want to make you suffer like I did."

"And how are you going to manage that?" Draco challenged him.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She couldn't believe it. The wand was right in her hand.

"Now that part was hard to plan. Is there something in the world that Draco Malfoy did not have, and _could_ not get back after it was stolen from him? I gotta hand it to you, I was a bit challenged, but then again, I was over looking it. The only way to cause you pain was by getting rid of the only person that _meant_ the world to you."

"_Diffindoe_!" 

Blaise staggered backwards as Hermione got thrown to the floor. Something shiny and sprang out from her pocket and landed near her. "Harry…" she whispered.

"_Crucio_!" Draco yelled as a green light shot out from his wand, hitting Blaise with such force he got thrown to the bookshelf before he withered in pain. The curse was so powerful Draco had to hold his wand with two hands. 

"You dirty fuck!" Draco shouted as the spell escaped from Blaise body, who was shaking all over. "You're gonna pay for what you did to Hermione! _Crucio_!" Blaise screamed an unearthly scream as the books crashed to the floor. Draco had never felt his wand so powerful before. 

"Don't kill him, Draco!" Hermione screamed, knowing that the protective charm Dumbledore had cast before is now gone. "You're just going to land yourself in Azkaban for that!"

But Draco couldn't hear her. He had a new strength within him he never realized before, and deep in his heart, the greed was slowly rising to his brain as his vision was slowly being filled with darkness. Something was taking over him as opened his mouth to say the Killing Curse.

"_Accio wand_!"

It ended before he even knew what was happening. The transformation inside his body disappeared as his wand flew to a carefully manicured hand, nails painted with a violent tint.

"I do not tolerate petty fights inside my house, son, you should know better than that."

*           *           *

"Mother!" Draco exclaimed as an older female version of him stood by the doorway, and stepped over Blaise's body. "Give me my wand, quick! Blaise isn't who you think he is!" 

"Nonsense," Narcissa replied, as he brought his adopted son to his feet. "He's the same boy I adopted since a few weeks ago."

"No, mother!" Draco yelled. "_Come here and give me my wand_!"

"Who's that over there?" Narcissa pointed to Hermione, raising her eyebrow.

"This is Hermione Granger, the girl I've been telling you about," Draco replied distractedly as he helped Hermione get to her feet as well. 

"Oh," his mother replied, almost sadly.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione greeted weakly. "But you have to listen to your real son right now. Blaise Zabini is from St. Mungo's, fresh out of the Mentally Ill section, and—"

"Of course I know that silly girl," Narcissa laughed, unraveling her perfect set of teeth. "Who do you think signed the release papers?"

*           *           *

Draco and Hermione exchanged glances as Narcissa brought Blaise, who had enough courage to smirk at them, to sit on a chair. "I see you used the other portkey gave you for emergency," she said to him.

Blaise nodded and leered at Draco. "Your mother was kind enough to send me another portkey after I told her I lost mine on the school grounds." His arm was bleeding profusely from the curse Hermione had cast on him. 

Narcissa faced the two of them, flipping her long silver hair from her shoulder. "I am so sorry it has to end this way, Draco."

"_End_ this way?" he repeated, taking a step behind to shield Hermione from her mother.

"Unfortunately." His mother replied sadly, and began to walk around her study like a professor, playfully twirling his son's wand, knowing he and Hermione were paying close attention to her.

"The night before both your fathers died, The Dark Lord spared you, Draco, because he believed you had the potential. A Seer had told Voldemort that a dragon is still sleeping within you, and it won't be long before the darkness would wake it from its deep slumber." She stopped on her tracks looking at her son directed in the eye. "Don't you see, Draco? There's no stopping that Malfoy blood within you. You are becoming like your father, only stronger …"

"I am my own man, mother," Draco replied coldly.

"Your powers are starting to show. Just now, you could have killed Blaise with just a Cruciatus Curse. Who knows what other things you are capable of?" She gave him a smile and turned her gaze to Hermione, who was listening intently at her. Narcissa walked over to her and ran her cold hand upon her cheek.

 "You are everything I imagined Draco's wife should be," she whispered in her ear.

Hermione jumped. "_Wife_?" She croaked.

"But I couldn't bear to see another woman suffer like I did, and more importantly, I couldn't allow my son to be the next Dark Lord," She continued speaking as if she was never interrupted. "So I did what any normal mother would do. Elimination. The only way to prevent this was to make sure it wouldn't happen. I searched St. Mungo's for the perfect man to kill my son, and found Blaise instead. With his backgrounds, I knew it wasn't too hard for him. In fact," she turned her head around and raised an  eyebrow at the raven-haired boy.

"I didn't say you could have fun and start a war before you could finish your task."

Blaise looked gruffly at the floor as Hermione squeezed Draco's arm.

"I adopted him so I could have some company in this house, when my son is gone. They act so much alike, don't they?" She looked at Hermione one more time. "You are clever, Hermione, I hope you understand what I am trying to say?"

She gritted her teeth and nodded. "By killing your son, you can prevent evil from the Wizarding World."

"And by killing you, Hermione, I can also stop the pain you are about to feel when you will be with him." 

Hermione's eyes flared. "You're as sick as him, Narcissa." She drawled referring to Blaise and surprised at herself for being so disrespectful. But Draco's mother smiled inwardly at her Gryffindor courage. "Your son has his own destiny to chose, and his own path to make."

"Hermione," Draco warned, but she didn't stop.

"And you're wrong about one thing. I will stay, no matter what happens to him. "

Narcissa brought her wand in front of Draco's heart, while she ordered Blaise to aim his at Hermione. "Forgive me," she said with tears in her eyes. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut as they engaged in one last embrace. She heard Draco say something to her but she couldn't decipher it. But wrapped in his arms, it was probably a good way to die.

"_Stupefy_!"

But the Killing Curse never reached their bodies. The sound of bodies collapsing, then she opened her eyes to see Narcissa Malfoy lying on the ground with her black velvet dress, right beside Blaise Zabini. The paleness of her hair clashed with Blaise's raven locks, and she stared at them for a while, amazed at how much a mother could love her son, and how much a son could love his family.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, not again!" Draco exclaimed exasperatedly as he let go of Hermione. She turned around to see what he was complaining about. There by the doorway, were her two best friends in the whole world.

*           *           *

"Why is it that the hero and his fuckin' sidekick always get to the scene right on time?" Draco yelled at them. "How the fuck did you get here?"

"Merry Christmas to you too," Ron grinned broadly.

Harry's eyes glinted through his glasses as he held up a medium-sized mirror in his hand and looked at Hermione. "We tried to get here as fast as we could."

Draco stared at her as a smile spread across her face. "What the hell is he holding?"

She looked up at him before walking towards the spot where she had fallen. She picked up the ancient hand-mirror which sprang from her pocket then stood beside Draco. "A gift, from Harry. It's for long-distance communication," she explained, smiling at him. "All I had to do was call his name."

"Hermione, come on, you're bleeding," Ron's voice said. "We've got to get you to the Hospital Wing. We already told Dumbledore and they're on their way here."

But they only kept staring at each other, brown eyes to gray orbs. They both knew it was definitely finished, and they were finally hit with the realization that their places were not with each other.

"What's going to happen now?" she whispered to him.

He slowly shook his head. "I don't' know."

"_Hermione_…" Ron said impatiently.

Draco leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. His lips barely touched her skin but she closed her eyes to cherish this moment. "You better get going," he said gently. "I'll watch over them until Dumbledore comes here. "

"Draco, I—" She wanted to say something but Harry held her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"We have to go, Hermione," he said softly. 

And that was when Draco understood. With a simple touch from Potter, Hermione's face changed from being sad, to actually being happy.

And so he watched as Ron and Harry pulled her to them, away from Narcissa's study.

Away from his home…. 

And away from his world. 

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

Author's Notes: Now the baddies are done for, leaving us with one final question. _Will Draco and Hermione ever get back together_? Dun dun dun! Hehehe Whoops. **It was Magnus who made Lestat.** Now I'm confused, but at least he's not in my story! (**Thanks Iya and Jade**!) I am so sorry to leave you guys like this again, but it's the only way to end it… I can't have Lavander and Parvati suddenly appear at The Mansion and say the famous did you see dialogues. Hehehe Thanks so much for everything and I'll see you all at the next chapter!!!!


	16. Never Letting Go

A/N: Gotta love the drama… hehe… How are you all? Sigh, the story's nearing to its end! Thank you again for the wonderful reviews! You guys are the best! Don't forget to review this one too. Please, I just want to hear what the readers say about this story. Thanks again! Enjoy! ~Chapter Sixteen~ Never Letting Go 

"Professor Dumbledore's Office!"

It felt as though she was taken in by a giant drain, with the whirl of green flame making Hermione sick to the stomach. She never liked using Floo Powder. Her eyes were kept open as a series of fireplaces came into view when suddenly—

"You almost knocked over the letoscope!" Ron's voice cried out.

"_Telescope_," Harry corrected, helping Hermione to her feet, who had slipped on the floor. The room was filled with those familiar little noises to Harry's ears.

"Thanks," she muttered, brushing away the ashes from her curls. That's when she realized the red stain forming on her sweater.

"Not quite the adventure I was hoping for this year," Ron pouted. "To think it all came down to a couple of deranged loonybins"

"It's a bit more complicated, Ron," Hermione replied. "But can you get me to the Hospital Wing first?" she added faintly.

"Right, then," Harry said seriously, taking notice of the blood on Hermione's neck. He bent over and tried to lift her from her legs and Hermione, who was shocked at this gesture, awkwardly stopped him. 

"I'm just bleeding, Harry," she said almost jokingly. "It's not like I'm crippled."

Harry coughed. "Sorry," he mumbled, blushing furiously. Ron rolled his eyes at his best friend.

"Don't try to sweep her off her feet yet," he whispered, leading Hermione with Harry trudging along behind.

The three of them left Dumbledore's office together, with Fawkes watching intently from his golden perch and the Sorting Hat sitting silently, smiling at himself.

*           *           *

"Easy does it, Janus."

The brawny black wizard grunted, levitating Blaise's body to the light green carriage, drawn by a majestic white horse. Finally he was laid on a bed beside Narcissa, who was breathing peacefully like a grown angel. Two Healers clad in lime green robes, were already inside, dipping their fingers on a liquidy substance, then traced it around their wrist. Moments later, a silver band was formed, branding them as the two newest patients of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Percy Weasley nodded approvingly to Janus, his personal assistant, who stepped inside the carriage, the ride grunting at his weight. 

"Well," Percy pushed up his horn-rimmed glasses, facing the two gentlemen behind him. "I can't believe I was called from my vacation for this. If there aren't any more _lunatics_ you've been keeping in your house, Malfoy, I best be going."

It's a _mansion_, not a house," Draco's cold eyes darkened. "With the mere experience of setting your foot inside my home, _Weasley_, I wouldn't be surprised if you would die happily after this."

"You are in no position to insult me like that, Malfoy, I am the Minister of Magic!" he shot his bony chin in the air. "I could have your head for that."

Draco grinned evilly. "You forget. I'm the reason the Ministry's still in business." His eyebrow arched arrogantly.  "You wouldn't have a single knut if it wasn't for me… By the way, do people still call you Weatherbee at work?"

Percy's ears turned as scarlet as his hair.

"Now, now, boys," Dumbledore spoke between them, clutching his blue fur coat tightly. He looked up at the Mansion, eyes unaffected by the strong rays of the sun. "Your home is wonderful especially at winter time, Draco."

"Thank you, sir."

"_Oh please_," the third Weasley snorted. "Time's a-waistin'," he said, waving his hands around. He placed his black top hat on his head, giving his former headmaster a small bow. "Happy Christmas, Professor," he acknowledged, and Dumbledore returned the courtesy.

"Merry Christmas," the old wizard replied.

"Malfoy," he mocked, the redhead glaring at his gray eyes. 

Draco raised his eyebrows at Percy, his head tilting at the slightest angle. "_Now get off my property_," he snarled.

Percy's jaw dropped momentarily before he mumbled a series of incoherent words. He sharply turned on his heels, climbed inside the bewitched carriage (which looked like it still had enough room for seven people) and slammed the door shut. The words ST. MUNGO'S written on its surface jumbled at the force, but returned to their normal places. 

The horse neighed, and suddenly a pair of massive wings spread out from its back. Draco gasped. It wasn't a horse, it was a Pegasus. He concealed his amazement as the sound of its wings cutting through the air hypnotized him. Eventually it sailed into the bright sky, with its silver mane flowing behind it, and moments later, it was gone.

"Remind me again how that squash-head became Minister of Magic," Draco faced his headmaster, before remembering the choice of words he should use when talking to him. 

But Dumbledore merely chuckled. "First of all his performance sheet was quite impressive, a very diligent person, if I may say so. But after Cornelius Fudge's death in the Great War, nobody seemed to be up for such a risky position anymore. The other candidates simply pushed him to this job. It's a pity his mind was clouded by ambition to notice these things."

Draco lips formed into a thin line. "My mother said the same thing about him."

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore began. "I—"

"I think we should get back inside, Professor," Draco cut off. He didn't want to talk about his mother, and it was evident in the drawl of his voice.

_Swimming sherbert lemon, this boy is harder to get through_, the headmaster thought. Dumbledore studied his student's blank expression before giving a warm smile. "Splendid idea, Draco. Forgive me, but do you have some of those delicious Danish cookies? I believe I have a sudden craving for them."

Draco merely raised an eyebrow.

*           *           *  
  


"I kept thinking 'I have to get my wand', and then next thing I knew, I was holding it!"

Hermione was sitting down on one of the hospital beds, retelling everything that had happened at the Mansion while Harry was sitting on a chair listening intently in front of her. Madame Pomfrey had instructed Ron to get a couple of hellebore from Professor Sprout so only two-thirds of the Golden Trio were at the Hospital Wing.

"I seriously didn't think I could do it. I mean, wandless magic! Me!" said Hermione skeptically.

"I doubt that will ever happen again," said Harry, secretly enjoying the sight of Hermione's bewilderment. "I know what you're talking about, but things like that only happen a few times in a wizard's life."

"I don't know," replied Hermione, absent-mindedly scratching the ointment Madame Pomfrey had rubbed on her neck.

"Stop doing that," said Harry.

"Doing what?"

"Scratching your neck."

"It's _itchy_," snapped Hermione.

Harry reached out and gently grabbed her soft hand, and held the other as well. For once Hermione found nothing to say and only stared at her friend. Harry wore an expression she had never seen before. Those brilliant emerald eyes bore into her soul as his face seemed to get closer and closer…

"Oy! I'm back!"

Harry sighed deeply, giving Hermione a faint smile and reclining back to his chair.

"Hi Ron," Hermione replied, breaking free from her gaze.

They both watched as Ron put the hellebore on Madame Pomfrey's desk and walked over to his friends. "You'll never guess what happened," he said, sitting beside Hermione on the bed. "So I was on my way to the Greenhouse 4 when there was this little commotion going on at the Great Hall. Dean and Seamus were having a fight with the Slytherins."

"And let me guess, the Slytherins proposed another war?" Harry rolled his eyes.

"I wish," Ron replied jokingly. "But they were ranting about how the Trophy had appeared back in their dungeons with Gryffindor Robes."

"Gryffindor?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, and I was thinking how could Blaise have gotten them?" Ron continued. "So anyway I walked over to them and wondered where to land my first punch on those assholes—"

"—_Ron_…" Hermione warned.

"But Professor McGonagall got there before me and explained everything to them."

"Everything?" Harry echoed.

"Well, not quite," Ron shrugged. "She left that part where Blaise was an ex-mental patient, and Narcissa Malfoy's partner in crime for murder."

"But how did McGonagall find out?" Harry frowned.

"Beats me. Through Dumbledore, I suppose. The old man knows everything," Ron said, shaking his head.

"Wasn't Snape there?" Harry asked his friend.

"He was," said Ron. "But come on Harry. You and I both know he would love to see his house get the 'justice they deserve'." 

"Of course!" Hermione suddenly snapped her fingers.

"You want to be a Slytherin now, Hermione?" asked Ron, unsure of himself.

"No, silly," she replied. "Honestly, you two should be more observant in your surroundings. The night we found out the Faculty had gone away, Neville was complaining to Seamus how he had lost his school robes!" she exclaimed. "Blaise went inside your dormitory and stole it from him."

"Hermione, we were there, remember?" Ron said. "You went up to us after that son of a bitch tried to mess with you."

"Yeah, but we were on my bed," Harry said slowly, finally catching up to what Hermione was saying. "The curtains were drawn down so we could have our privacy."

Hermione smiled. "What would you guys do without me," she said, scratching her neck, feeling proud of herself.  
"Stop that," Harry and Ron said in unison.

"It's itchy," Hermione repeated.

*           *           *

The Mansion seemed a lot more quiet and empty. Draco's ears strained to hear Narcissa's voice, singing like she used to when she passed the halls, or even Lucius' snake-tipped cane, hitting the floor like it did when his father was home. But now, all those sounds were gone. Now, all he could hear was silence, and he had never felt more alone in his life.

"Wonderful, isn't it, how simple things can give you great pleasure."

The Slytherin snapped back to reality as Dumbledore rose from Narcissa's desk, brushing away the crumbs of the Danish cookies from his robes. "Thank you for the scrumptious snack, Draco."

The boy shrugged. 

"I know you are worried about your mother…"

"A mother who's been planning to kill me," he said flatly. "Are you kidding me?" _What is wrong with this old fool?_

"_You are_, Mister Malfoy," Dumbledore persisted, eyeing him carefully. "And I want you to know she's in perfectly good hands, and she shall be treated well."

"How can anyone be treated well in Azkaban?" the silver-haired boy snorted.

"You mother will not be sent there, Draco."

"But aren't they going to be sent to prison for attempted murder?" His eyebrows burrowed. "I thought St. Mungo's was just a stop over."

"No, Draco, Mister Zabini and your mother will stay at St. Mungo's until they get better," Dumbledore explained, putting a hand gently on Draco's shoulder. "The Ministry does not punish wizards who aren't in the… right state of mind."

The young Malfoy nodded, and the walls to his emotions slowly disappeared. "In that case I want my mother to have the best healers in the world," he told his headmaster, though not looking at his eyes. "She will stay at the most expensive ward, and shall be treated with the state-of-the-art medicine and potions." He paused. "Money shall be no problem."

"That it is, for you, Draco." The headmaster pulled his hand back and walked over to the repaired bookshelf and pretended to read the titles. "You are very lucky indeed, to finally have everything you've always wanted."

He stared at Dumbledore's back. An image of Hermione being pulled away from him by his rival flashed in his mind, and he closed his eyes to make it go away. "Yes, I am," Draco said unconvincingly.

Dumbledore stroked his long beard thoughtfully, blue eyes finally resting upon a white coat, hanging on the rack by the door. "How unfortunate your mother left this exquisite clothing behind," he sighed, raising it in his hands.

Draco walked over to him. "That's not my mother's," he said slowly, touching the soft fabric and smelling the familiar raspberry scent. "It's Hermione's."

"Ah," Dumbledore nodded. "Then you must come back with me to Hogwarts now. You have more reason there than to spend the rest of your vacation here."

"But what about the Mansion," Draco blabbered. "No one will—"

"The house-elves have done a fine job taking care of your home for the last few centuries, Mister Malfoy," Dumbledore smiled. "I think they shall be doing that even without your supervision." He handed him Hermione's coat. "Besides, I think Miss Granger would definitely want you back," he said with a wink.

Draco stared at the white cloth in his hands. "Don't you mean, _this_?" he asked dumbfoundedly.

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled. "Oh. That too."

*           *           *

After a hearty dinner at the Great Hall (where Hermione had been uncharacteristically quiet), the trio finally went up to the Gryffindor Tower to get a restful sleep that night. Ron had gone straight to the boys' dormitories, saying he needed to sleep early "to grow some more." Harry had decided to walk Hermione to the Head Room, and once again, he felt like they were the only two people in the world. 

Hermione had been jumpy the whole trip to the Head Room, and Harry thought that his poor friend might have had too much things going on inside her mind. So he kept his mouth shut, once in a while stealing glances at Hermione's profile. She was biting her lip once again, like she always did when she was confused. Her brown curls were omitting shadows on her face, but her toffee eyes still glowed in the dim light. 

"You're my best friend, right Harry?" Hermione asked suddenly, stopping infront of the portrait of the Two Lovers.

The word _friend_ stabbed his heart. "Of course," he replied, searching her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I'm sorry. I'm just thinking too much."

Harry smiled and took her hand in his. "I'll always be here if you need me, Hermione."

She stared at the entwined hands. One was soft and smooth by holding all those pages of countless of books, and the other was hard and callused by Quidditch and all those battles fought. Two hands that have been together through thick and thin, and yet… Yet it didn't feel the same as what she yearned for the most. A pair of hands that were carefully manicured, that touched only the finest and most expensive silk, fingers that only fit perfectly in hers. 

Hermione stared at Harry, expecting what was going to happen next. "Please, Harry, don't…"

But Harry was too busy getting lost in her eyes. "When I heard from Ron that you were gone, I thought I would have died," he whispered. "I've lost enough people who mean the world to me. I didn't want you out of my life."

She smiled softly at him. "I'm here, aren't I?" she whispered back. "And I won't leave you, no matter what happens."

"Hermione, you don't understand," said Harry, cupping her face in his hands and looking straight into her eyes. "I _need_ you."

She tried to fight the urge to cry for her best friend. She knew how he felt towards her, but try as she might, she knew she would only love one person. "Harry, this is—"

But she couldn't finish her sentence. How could she, when Harry's crimson lips had covered hers, kissing Hermione with all the love that he felt, knowing he could never have her love.

She didn't know how long it lasted. Hermione closed her eyes, but she never kissed him back. Harry gently pulled away from her, and that's when she noticed her lips had a faint taste of tears. She looked into Harry's eyes to see, but there were no tears flowing from them. _It was her who had cried._

"Harry, I'm sorry…" she breathed.

"Don't be, Hermione," he replied, stroking her cheek. "You're my best friend." And with that, he turned around and made his way to the boys' dormitories, never looking back.

She took a deep breath and wiped away the tears from her eyes. Everything will be better, she thought, not believing herself. Once they were dry, she opened her eyes and Hermione's heart suddenly thumped furiously in her chest. Draco Malfoy had slowly stepped away from the shadows, his pale face showing nothing but a black expression and his eyes, filled with nothing but sorrow. 

*           *           *

"Draco," she stammered. "That wasn't what it looked like…"

He took his time walking towards Hermione, the sound of his shoes filling the earthy silence that lingered before them. So many thoughts darkened his mind, but Hermione's face seemed to brighten it. He was looking forward to coming back to the Head Room and confess his love for her, but after seeing Harry kiss the woman he loved, there was no reason anymore.

"You have nothing to explain to me, Hermione," he drawled. "_Impermissus Amado_."

The door to the Head Room opened, and she soundlessly followed him inside. 

"_Lumos_." Although he merely whispered the spell, the whole room lighted up in a brilliant radiance. Hermione found it to be in perfect condition, tables still in place, and curtains still drawn up. The fireplace was still crackling softly, and everything else was how it had been before the War. 

Before the War. 

Hermione looked up at Draco's back, staring at the silver hair and remembering how soft it was between her fingers, remembering how everything had been before the war. "Draco, listen to me. What happened between me and Harry—"  
"Is something I don't give a shit about," he cut in, handing Hermione a parchment, careful not to touch her hand. "These are our duties when term starts again. It's a good thing I already divided them so we won't have to do it together."

"Draco, will you just give me a chance—"

"That way, you will be seeing less of me, and I, you." He ignored the despair in Hermione's voice. "Whatever happened between us—"

"Is something that I give a shit about!" Hermione screamed at him.

"And something that belongs to the past," Draco snapped, staring deep into Hermione's eyes for the last time. "Didn't you say it yourself? Maybe we never did belong to each other."

He walked to his room, never tearing his gaze away from her cinnamon eyes that were filled with tears again.

"I thought you said you'd never let me go," she whispered at him, before he slammed the door shut. Moments later she collapsed on the floor, burying her face in her hands.

Draco leaned back on his door and closed his eyes in the dark, alone in his room.

"I never did."

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

I know it's short, I'm so sorry, I just had to end it there! Expect the next chapter very soon! Love you all! 

Ceres Vesta


	17. For Whom the Heart Needs: Reprise

**I AM SOOOO SORRY!! I know I said very soon, but the holidays made me so busy! Hope you forgive me! And I hope this will serve as a good Christmas present. No more angst! I'm out of tissues! Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone!!! Enjoy.**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**For Whom the Heart Needs: Reprise**

Life just had to go on.

Days went by and Christmas Break was finally over. The rest of the students returned for the remainder of the year, with books being opened and classrooms filled with bored looking faces once more. Lessons have become a lot more complicating, with their N.E.W.T.'s being less than a few months away. Only the seventh years understood the seriousness of the matter at hand, especially Hermione who spent more time at the library than she did at the Head Room.

Books were means of an escape, and it helped her mind to be free of the one person she knew she was never going to forget. One minute she would read rows of words and sentences, next minute those cold gray eyes would seem to gaze back at her.

She had been thinking about him almost everytime. It didn't matter if he loved her or not, what mattered was that she should have told him how she truly felt. But she knew he would never listen to her again, so she grabbed her quill and parchment, scribbling the images away from her head.

*           *           *

Draco Malfoy stared at the white coat in his hands. It was almost midnight and Hermione hadn't returned from the library yet. She was probably too caught up in her studies. He brushed his hair away from his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently. There were plenty of reasons why she was late. She could have dozed off at the library, or went snogging in a broom closet with Potter. Draco snorted. _It's not like I told her I'd be waiting for her, anyway_, he thought. Come to think of it, why _was_ he waiting around for her in the first place? He could just leave her coat on the couch and lock himself in his room.

_And what? Hide from her again?_ He asked himself. _You can't do that forever, Malfoy…_

Suddenly he heard the door sliding on the stone floor. He shifted his glance and found Hermione stepping inside the Head Room, cradling at least five heavy books in her arms, strands of coffee curls framing her face. Though she seemed tired, her eyes carried determination like no one else can. He should know. He'd been staring at her eyes all year round. 

"Why are you still up?" Hermione asked.

Draco stared at her and wondered if he should just forget about the whole thing.

"Your door is usually locked at this time of the night." Her weary voice filled his ears as she walked over to her study and dumped her books on the table. "Did I forget to do something? I know I did all my duties today, but—"

"I have something for you," said Draco, rising from the couch. Though his voice had no emotion, it had the power of making Hermione weak She stared as he walked towards her, fixing her gaze on anything but his eyes. He pulled out his hand from his back and held the coat Hermione had left at the Mansion. 

She gasped as she took the coat in her hand, not realizing that her fingers had brushed against Draco's. "How could I have forgotten this?"

"Dumbledore found it," he explained, trying to gain control of himself.

Hermione smiled and looked down on her books. "Thanks."

There was an awkward silence as Draco thought of what to say next. He could bring Potter up, but he didn't want to sound like he was jealous. Well, he was. A great deal. But he didn't want her to find that out. He could talk about tomorrow's test at Defense Against the Dark Arts, but that was lame. Malfoys were supposed to be suave. _For Merlin's sake Malfoy, just steal her from Potter! She's supposed to be with you, not him! _

"I'm really tired Draco," Hermione suddenly spoke, breaking Draco away from his reverie. "I should be going to bed."

"Right," he muttered, stepping sideways to get out of Hermione's way. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"That hardly happens," she ran her thumb over her coat and spoke softly. "Most of the time you're just hiding from me."

Just like that, Draco's pride triggered in. "Did it ever occur to you that I might have a reason for that?" he growled as Hermione lifted her head. "You think I should apologize for making you feel miserable?"

"I wasn't thinking any of that…" she replied helplessly.

"Doesn't matter anymore," he leered. "Your hero-boyfriend will always be around, making sure his Gryffindor princess is kept safe from a _dragon's_ harm." He mentioned dragon as if it was some sort of disgusting trash. 

She bent her head down in defeat. She was so tired; she didn't know what to think anymore. "Harry is _not_ my boyfriend," Hermione said softly. "Just give me a chance to explain—"

"No," Draco shook his head, stepping further away from her. "There is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind about you." He paused as his hair fell over his eyes, hiding whatever emotion he had inside. "Mudblood _filth_ all along."

Hermione fought control over her tears, and he watched as she quietly went inside her room, chin up with dignity. Her chestnut hair was the last he saw from her before she closed the door. Draco clenched his fists, cursing every object in his path. Merlin knows he never meant to say the last part, but he had to. So he could make Hermione forget about him, and to make it easier to let her go.

*           *           *

_His left arm was bleeding profusely but he held his sword tight on his right hand. Everywhere he looked hundreds of wizards were fighting to the death, on that battlefield which would go down to the history as the most memorable battle fought. Cries of anguish could be heard within a two hundred feet radius around him, and he walked forward, carelessly stepping over the bodies that lay on the ground, some already dead, others just waiting for their last breath._

_In the distance someone was calling out his name, but he ignored it and continued to slash his sword around, blindly striking every wizard that came in his path. Blood fountained from their guts, and he laughed at the looks of defeat on his victims' faces. _

"Blaise!"

He spun around, looking where the voice was coming from, but all he could see were warriors fighting. Amidst the dark colored armors on the battlefield, someone stood out with a lime green shield. He stared at the warrior. No, he was wearing lime green robes.

"Blaise!"

He spun a round once more, and in one complete second, He was in the hospital commons, a place where St. Mungo's patients gathered and hung around. In the far corner of the room, he could see Narcissa Malfoy dressed in extravagant robes, clad with the most expensive jewelries, though her right wrist wore a simple silver band, Patient No. 625369

"You don't understand," Narcissa was telling a nurse. "My son, Draco, there's something within him. I need to get home and take care of it, kill him if I have to…"

"Blaise! Will you drop Mr. Bearwick's cane and get over here? He needs to walk and you need to take your medications!"

Blaise Zabini stared at the mahogany cane he was holding as a sword in his hands. Soundlessly he returned it to an old wizard with a long gray beard who was muttering swear words at him. Quietly he sat next to a young man he recalled as Gerald, his own personal nurse. 

"Atta boy," he told him and patted his back. "I know you're getting better, and it will be soon before you can get out of here. Come now, drink this…"

Blaise took the smoky goblet in his hands. He noticed the silver band on his own wrist, this time it read Patient No. 252473. 

It was all his imagination.

*           *           *

Time passed, and the seventh year students of Hogwarts were at the zenith of their stress levels. More than a dozen Ravenclaw students found themselves drinking Madame Pomfrey's Anxiety Reliever and Tension pills twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. 

Kendra Haleybell, a Hufflepuff student was going crazy because she had cried in over her books the other night, and now the ink was all smudged up. All her housemates were trying to comfort her, losing precious time in opening their books.

The Slytherins on the other hand were putting all their minds into thinking some clever ideas of cheating without getting caught. Only a handful from the serpent house could be seen studying.

It was the night before the first day of their Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests.

"Will you at least eat some Chocolate Frogs, Hermione?" said Harry pitifully. "You need sugar to boost up your energy."

"I'm fine Harry," she said without looking up from her Arithmancy book.

"Right, and I've bought myself two brand new Polaris broomsticks, one for each leg," Ron quipped in. 

The Trio was at the Gryffindor Common Room, scanning their notes on their subjects from their previous year. They were seated on the floor in the circle, and the boys noticed that their friend was getting thinner everyday. Hermione's face was getting longer and her frail arms were getting close to being bony.

"How come we didn't see you at dinner tonight?" asked Ron.

"Um," her eyebrows furrowed, straining to remember. "I was at the Library, trying to make a reviewer for Potions. Oh, and Transfigurations too—"

"Bloody hell, Hermione, what are you doing to yourself?" asked Harry, shaking his head.

"It's no big deal," Hermione replied defensively. "After our Advanced Wizarding Level Tests—"

"—N.E.W.T.s—" Ron corrected.

"—are over, I'll be back to normal," Hermione finished, rubbing her eyes. Merlin knows it was more than just staying up late studying that brought those puffy dark circles around them. "I don't know what you guys worry about so much— WILL YOU KEEP IT TO A DULL ROAR?!" 

Lavender and Parvati, who were seated on one of the couches, stopped fighting about an incorrectly copied lecture from their Divinations subject. 

"Thank you," the Head Girl said sarcastically and continued to scribble furiously on her reviewer. 

"You've got to eat something Hermione," Ron persisted. "Or you won't have the strength to hold that quill!"

"And get Malfoy out of your head for a while," Harry suddenly said.

Ron pretended he didn't hear anything and seriously read the first paragraphs of _Dueling with Dewgulls by Narnia Badget_.  

She shut her eyes momentarily and rubbed her forehead. "Please, Harry, don't start this…"

"I know, I'm sorry," he replied, staring down at his book. "It's just that thinking about him might not be healthy for you right now…"

Hermione nodded and kept quiet.

Ron lifted his eyes from his book and stared at his two friends, with Hermione sickly skinny as ever and Harry, well. Harry had the talent for hiding his true feelings. But that never deceived the Weasley. A year ago, he was expecting the three of them, studying together for their N.E.W.T.s, laughing merrily like nothing was wrong in the world. Instead, they were mentally separated, and he found himself sitting with Harry and Hermione, very engrossed in their books, and Ron actually knew the exact figurative angle for banishing a wigglepuss. What was the world coming into?

_Damn you, Malfoy!_

*           *           *

"Five more minutes to go!"

Lupin's voice filled the classroom air.

Yes, Lupin.

Harry lifted his head from his paper and stared at his guardian, who was the proctor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was the last day of their N.E.W.T.'s and Harry couldn't wait much longer for all this to end, and finally setting his future straight. Practical test had begun earlier that morning and it was only this afternoon that they were taking the written exams. From the corner of his eye he could see Ron sitting beside him, his long nose practically touching the parchment on his table. In front of him, Malfoy already had his back resting on the chair, and he was twirling his quill around his fingers. And he looked bored.

The-Boy-Who-Lived rolled his eyes and checked his answers once more. Question number 72 was quite tricky, and Harry was wondering to change his answer or not. His fingers were tapping like crazy on the table as he stared at the shaded option. He glanced at Lupin once more, and Harry could have sworn he was smirking at the students, specifically him. Okay. He was going to change his answer.

But Lupin's voice spoke out once more before he could even bring his quill to his paper.

"Time's up!"

_Damn_. Suddenly each quill floated in the air above the class, and there were groans and complaints for the students. Harry saw Neville sweating like crazy, anxiety taking in.

"All of you may go out form this side of the room so that the next batch can take the test," Lupin explained as he pointed to a door on his left side. He ran a hand through his brownish gray hair and his eyes twinkled. "Now I know how nerve-wracking your N.E.W.T.'s are, and this happens to be your last test. So by all means, step out of this classroom and go crazy!"

"Yeah!" Ron hollered as he threw his fists in the air. A bunch of other students screamed and shouted, letting all the stress go out from them. It was over! They miled around the exit door, all their worries left in that classroom. The results could wait, they knew it was going to be mailed individually at the summer vacation, so right now, all that mattered was their freedom, and their becoming of age. 

"Mr. Potter? Mr. Weasley?" Lupin suddenly called out. "Will you please stay behind?"

Ron and Harry glanced at each other and shrugged. They turned on their heels, a big smile on their faces, not knowing that they had run into Malfoy.

"Watch it!" Draco snapped, glaring at both of them.

"Harry, Ron, get over here," Lupin called out once more.

Harry glowered at Draco before going over to Lupin's desk. They waited until everyone was out of the classroom before he spoke. "What's up, Lupin?"

"I thought I told you to call me Uncle Remus?" 

Ron stifled a laugh. "Uncle Remus?"

"Well, I thought it had a nice ring to it," Lupin chuckled. "I was kidding, Harry. Don't call me that."

"Sure, Uncle Remus."

"Stop it."

"Hey, will you be here during our Leaving Ceremony?" Ron asked, looking excited. "It isn't a full moon, is it?"

"Fortunately it isn't, so I'll definitely be here," Lupin smiled. "Which is why I wanted to talk to you… Where's Hermione?"

"She's taking Potions right now," Harry answered, quite unemotionally. "We have different schedules."

Lupin frowned at him. "I see," he nodded, sensing something. "Well, it's about that book I gave her as a present last Christmas."

"What about it?" Ron asked, suddenly curious.

"Well, I seriously hope she hadn't read it immediately—"

"Lupin, this is Hermione we're talking about," Harry cut in. "She could hardly close a book that gets into her hands."

Their previous DADA Professor gaped at them. "You mean she's read it?"

"Five times already, if you ask me," said Ron.

Harry suddenly saw the panic in his guardian's eyes. "What's the matter, Lupin?"

Before he could answer, the next batch of students went inside the classroom, and the bell rang for the start of the new test. 

"Damn it," cursed Lupin. "Look. I have to talk to you soon, the three of you. At the Leaving Ceremony tomorrow night," he said urgently. "Don't worry about it. Run along and have some fun."

Harry and Ron looked at each other once more before they went out of Classroom Seventeen. Have fun? How could they do that when they knew something not good was definitely going to happen?

*           *           *  
  


Draco was in no mood for an End of NEWTs party. Somewhere down the Head Room, at the Slytherin dungeons, his housemates were probably getting drunk, celebrating for a job well done in their teamwork for getting through the NEWTs. Not one of them had been caught, and that would definitely be a proud moment for any Slytherins in the future. 

But he was too tired to even show up at the party. No, not mentally. He had been studying all year, he didn't even have to cram for their Advanced Wizarding Levels Tests. His body was weary from pretending so much, from deceiving everyone around him, including himself. So he lied down on his green and silver bed, hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling. Mind over Matter. An all too familiar image was forming in his head, and he was trying his best to hide it within the depths of his mind. 

Suddenly the door to the Head Room was banging loudly, Draco thought there was an earthquake. He grabbed his wand from his bedside table and rose to his feet, walked over to the receiving area where the banging sounds only grew louder.

He unlocked the door.

"Where the hell is Hermione?"

Fuck it, it was Potter.

"What's the matter, Potter?" Draco drawled. "Did she ditch you in the middle of a blowjob?"

"Burn in hell, Malfoy," Harry retorted. "I'm here to see Hermione."

"Well she's not here," Draco replied flatly.

"Shit, where is she?" Harry cursed as Draco gave him a look that seemed to press to say more. 

"She was with Ron and me when N.E.W.T.s were over," Harry replied. "We were on our way for dinner when Hermione said she wasn't going to eat. She's making herself sick, did you know that, Malfoy?"

Draco stared blankly at him. "I noticed." He wasn't lying. He did see Hermione getting weaker and weaker. Everyday.

"She was awfully quiet today and well, we turned around and she wasn't there anymore. Ron and I split up and we still can't find her!" Harry finished, not believing he was whining to Malfoy.

"What about that mirror thing of yours?" Draco hid his concern. "Isn't that what you used to find Hermione at the Mansion?"

"It's not with her. Students aren't supposed to bring anything except their quills and wands during NEWTs, remember?"

Draco's heart was beating rapidly in his chest. He wanted to help, but he knew he had no right. "Well that's your problem, Potter. I'm afraid I can't do anything about that," he began to turn his back on Harry.

"She loves you, alright?" Harry suddenly shouted. "Stop moping around and get a grip!"

Draco stopped dead in his tracks. A horrid noise filled his ears. It was like someone was banging their hands on the keys of a piano… No. More like stomping their feet on those keys.

"Look. I saw you when I walked Hermione here that night," Harry said slowly. "And I'm sorry I kissed her in front of you, it's just that she means a lot to me too. And I thought I could get her. But you don't have to act like you're the king of grief, okay, because she didn't kiss me back."

Draco slowly turned around and faced his mortal enemy. He heard everything Harry had said, but now his heart was beating swiftly for an entirely different reason. Someone was a frustrated musician, and took absolutely no consideration in playing that instrument.

Harry threw his arms in the air. "She didn't kiss me back," he repeated. "It's you who got the Golden Snitch, Malfoy. Not me."

"Do you hear that god-awful noise, Potter?" Draco suddenly complained.

"What the are you talking about?" Harry yelled at him. "Focus! It's not helpful when you only hear whatever noise is playing!"

And then it hit him.

"She's not feeling really well, hasn't eaten for days, and something might happen to her—"

"Quit it, Drama Queen," Draco held up his hand and followed the melody. "I think I know where she is."

*           *           *

The Music Room was a mess. 

Hermione was tired of all the stressful studying. She was tired of pretending that everything was fine. She was tired of Draco Malfoy who was in her dreams every single night, keeping her awake, and only crying herself to sleep again. It was sick of how one simple mistake could turn her whole life around. Why hadn't she thought about Draco, who fought for her when all the Slytherins were beating him up? Why hadn't she thought about Draco saving her that day on Quidditch? Why had she ever thought that he didn't love her back?

Now it was too late, and there was nothing to do in the world except to wallow in the past. She could never have him back. 

Every single instrument was in disarray. Either Hermione threw them around, or kicked them around, or blasted them into pieces. Everything could be back to just the way it was with a Reparo, but right now, she had to release the heavy feeling deep within her. And that's when she took notice of the Grand Piano, where Draco had told her that he had fallen in love with him.

And that's when Hermione banged her palms on the black and white keys, tears flowing profusely from here chocolate eyes. She was getting dizzy from the lack of food, but nothing hurt worse than her heart. For losing the one that she loved.

The music flowing from the keys reflected her soul. It was in disorder, not harmonious, and most importantly a mess.

Her vision was blurry from the tears. She didn't know how long she "played" with the piano. But she knew she stopped the moment the door suddenly sprang open, and Draco Malfoy stepped inside.

His pale gray eyes were different. They weren't cold and distant. They were soft. Warm. And he was moving closer to her.

And that's when it hit Hermione.

It plays for whom the heart needs. 

"Draco… I am so sorry for everything…"

"You seriously have got to take piano lessons, Granger."

Her heart was beating furiously in her chest. Tears were still flowing, but it wasn't from grief now.

"And who did you have in mind that could teach me, Malfoy?" Hermione replied, closing the gap between us. She raised her arms around his neck as Draco wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, giving her a genuine smile, lips forming into that familiar smirk she had missed so much.

"I will, Granger," he drawled. "For the rest of my life."

Their lips met, sharing a deep, ardent kiss, where nothing else in the world mattered.

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

Author's Notes:

Patient No. 625369= MALFOY

Patient No. 252473= BLAISE

Check it for yourself. 

NEWTS= Advanced Wizarding Levels Test. I made this all up. I really don't know what it's formally called. But I do know after Ordinary Wizarding Level (OWLs), Advanced tests come next. Not really sure, though.

Please review and tell me how you hated/liked this chapter.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Oh yeah. This is not quite the end yet.


	18. Awakening

Don't hate me! Don't hate me! This must've been the longest update ever. I'm finally setting out my priorities, so I'm dedicating more time into my studies right now. Anyway, two points first.

**PATIENT Nos.: (I was talking about the numbers on the telephone, or the cellphone. I got this idea when Arthur Weasley dialed the Ministry's number in Ootp, #62442. It stood for MAGIC. **

**NEWTS: I know that it stands for Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, but didn't the students only make this up? I believe there's a formal title for this type of test, but it's only me. besides, it's only fanfiction!**

**LUPIN's BOOK: In Chap14, The Lioness Comes Home, Hermione received a gift from Lupin, a book called Aris, Luna et Stella. More about that later.**

Anyway, consider this as a post Christmas present for all of you. I know you've been through a lot with this story, and so I decided to give you guys a break. Haha… Thanks again for the wonderful reviews! I love you guys!

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Awakening**

Harry Potter stared at the two lovers by the piano, arms wrapped around each other like nothing else in the world mattered. He had never seen Hermione look so happy. What he saw was suppose to hurt his heart much worse than the Killing Curse, but all he could do was swallow his dreams and move on. And so he stepped back from the Music Room, and closed the door. Things don't always happen the way you want them to be. He nodded knowingly to himself and walked on, a wiser man, and a better person himself. 

*           *           *

"Draco—"

"Shh…" He whispered against her face, his finger brushing her lips ever so lightly. "You don't need to say anything to me, Hermione, Potter explained everything." He cupped her cheeks and kissed her once more, never wanting to get used to the raspberry taste of her mouth. 

She held him closer still, inhaling the scent of soap and expensive cologne. She took him deeper in her lips, Draco's velvet tongue roaming around the walls of her mouth. Hermione smiled at the touch of his silver-blonde hair before Draco gently pulled away from her. "I'm sorry for making you go through this…" His fingers easily circled her frail arm. 

"Don't worry about it, everything will be fine now," she replied softly, running her hand through his hair and pulled him once more to her. He stared deep into her eyes, being hypnotized once more by its beauty and radiance. Brown orbs were talking with gray, sharing secrets between them.

Never letting go of his stare, Draco played with the Hermione's curls, bringing a lock of it to his lips and kissed it. She smiled at him as his hands roamed lower, tracing the curve of her neck, before they rested on the clasp of her robes.

_"May I?" His gray orbs seemed to say._

_"Yes," her brown eyes replied._

There was no haste. He took his time unwrapping his Hermione, slowly unlocking her school robes before they silently fell on the floor. Maybe there was something about his eyes too, because Hermione kept smiling at him. He bent his head to plant a kiss on her eyes and slowly ran his hands down to the curve of her breasts towards her small waist. As if she could read his mind, she raised her arms in the air, looking like a small child being undressed. Draco smirked softly before he pulled her cashmere sweater over her head and threw it on the floor, while her hair cascaded back down carelessly, her chocolate curls tussled, some strands falling over her face. 

She rested her palm over his heart, getting used to its soft beat. Hermione's eyes followed her hand as it went down to his waist, then she looked up at Draco once more.

_"May I?" Her toffee eyes begged._

_"Yes," his silver orbs answered._

She pulled his black turtleneck over his head, and tossed it on the floor. Although his chest was already bare, she only kept staring at him, each strand of his hair still in place. Slowly, he guided her towards the piano, from which a solid harmony escaped as he carried her to the top. It didn't matter. Both knew that no one else could hear that except the two of them. Their eyes never let go of each other as Draco removed Hermione's shoes and socks, before he climbed on top with her. Another melody filled the room, and then there was silence.

If there was any doubt or fear that crossed her mind, Hermione never showed it. How the piano ever held both of them baffled her, but then again, nothing was ever normal in the magical world. Who would have thought that former bitter enemies would be like this?

"I love you, Hermione," he whispered, running her hand on her porcelain cheek. "I've always loved you."

She gazed into his gray orbs, sighing deeply. How long has she been waiting to hear those words from Draco? "I love you too."

He slowly unbuttoned her blouse, planting a wet kiss on each new part of her skin that was exposed as each button came undone. Soon, all their clothes were abandoned on the floor, and they laid on top of each other, skin on skin. Her warmth melted his cold heart, his touches weakening her whole being. She held him closer as he ran his tongue down her throat and sucked on the flesh connecting it with the collarbone. He had all the time in the world. Her supple breasts easily fitted his hands, they were so perfect for each other. He bent down and took her in him, sucking on her nipple while massaging the other one, alternately doing this for Merlin knew how long. Licking, sucking, biting… Hermione could only moan in response she clutched on his soft hair. Before she knew it, Draco's hand snaked down her thigh, running down through its smoothness. 

She arched back as his finger entered her, slowly moving inside, memorizing every part of her. Her muscles clenched as he moved in an agonizingly slow rhythm, in and out, in and out… Her body never knew such ecstasy as he added another finger, and eventually moved faster, keeping in mind that he was in control. His thumb found the sensitive nub and rubbed it. He watched her as she withered beneath him, brows furrowed in pain, lips partly open in pleasure. How could he contain himself when she was looking like that? He knew for certain that no one else looked more beautiful than his Hermione. He grew stiffer than he could handle anymore. 

"Draco, please," she moaned breathlessly. "Hurry…"

She wanted him inside her when it happens. To hell with being slow, he needed her now. That's when he slammed himself against Hermione, and she let out a small scream. She was too tight for her, and he was to big for him. 

"Merlin, did I hurt you?" he asked, suddenly alarmed. 

But Hermione shook her head, opened her eyes and gazed deep into Draco's gray orbs. "_Move_," she whispered.

And so thrust himself into her, forgetting that he was in control. He needed her so much. Soon, they found one beat, one rhythm, and they moved against each other, taking more than what they could ever have. 

They ended just like they had begun. No words. Just staring games, to see who was the weak, and who was the powerful. Eyes never let go of each other as they came at the same time, and held each other's stares for as long as they both could. Many times they have awakened themselves, clutching each other tightly, like tonight was their last night together. 

Because tomorrow was a different thing. 

Tomorrow they would become one. 

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

But it was too damn short! I'm sorry! I will make it up to you guys, I won't keep you waiting again, I promise! Until then! 

Ceres Vesta


	19. EPILOGUE: The Sorting Hat Speaks: Repris...

**Hope this was soon enough for all of you! Enjoy! Oh! And I sure hope all of you have read OotP…**

**Disclaimer: The following songs mentioned below are not mine. You'll find out why.**

**EPILOGUE**

**The Sorting Hat Speaks: Reprise**

He was looking at her again.

The whole student body erupted in cheers as she climbed up the stage, with her two best friends on either side, escorting her to the stage. Their arms were entangled with each other as if nothing could ever break them apart.

"…_This year's class valedictorian, Miss Hermione Granger_!" Professor Dumbledore had called out.

Draco Malfoy's ears rang from the deafening noise, but he took no notice of it. Some students stood up from their chairs, applauding their hearts out, but he only leaned back on his seat, a knowing smile on his lips, and his eyes, never leaving Hermione.

It was finally the Leaving Ceremony, and after a very scrumptious dinner, each student was called to the stage to accept their diploma and shake hands with the Headmaster. Four students had been called out for Special Mention for Excellency Award; it was the first time in the history of Hogwarts where two students were tied in the Second Honorable Mention, Mandy Brocklehurst from Ravenclaw and Ernie Macmillian from Hufflepuff. Neville Longbottom had surprisingly achieved the First Honorable Mention, clearly overcoming a huge obstacle otherwise known as Potions. The poor bastard humiliated himself by wetting his pants when he got up the stage.

Draco snickered at the sweet memory before his fingers had awakened to the touch of a silver cup in his hand. _DRACO MALFOY: CLASS SALUTATORIAN_. The Slytherins had been the noisiest when he accepted his award infront of everybody, filling the hall with their screeches and hollers while the others were banging their fists on the table. He raised his award in the air like he knew it all along, and the whole Slytherins only screamed some more. It was a while before Professor Dumbledore had managed to settle them down.

Then it was her turn. Among all of the students at Hogwarts, no one looked more proud of Hermione than the Wonder Twins. Weasel looked like he was ready to cry. Draco smirked and briefly turned his attention to Harry, who probably didn't even take the time to brush his hair. But he was also smiling up at her. _Stop gawking, Potter_, he thought to himself before he returned to stare at Hermione, only to find out that she was also looking straight at him.

Then again, who could blame Potthead? Maybe it was the bright lights in the Great Hall that made her whole self sparkle, or perhaps it was that simple, sheer white tube gown that fitted her body just right, that made her look like the perfect angel. Her hair wasn't tied up in fancy twists, it merely cascaded down to cover her bare back. She wore no other jewelry except for the necklace he gave for Christmas, the silver snake coiling around her neck, down to her cleavage. 

Hermione nodded her head towards him in a playful manner, eyes seeming to say, "_I beat you_!"

Draco Malfoy ran his fingers through his silver locks and nodded back. He knew what she was thinking, but how was he supposed to disagree when she was looking like that?

"_Sonorus_," Professor McGonagall aimed her wand at Hermione's throat, and then a gradual silence fell on the Great Hall. If Hermione was freaking out right now, she had a lot of talent for hiding it.

"I wasn't really expecting any of this—" she began. Most of the students laughed ironically at this.

Hermione smiled nervously, taking a look at Draco, who raised his eyebrow as a sign of encouragement. She cleared her throat again and spoke more clearly this time. 

"To the members of the faculty who never ceased to give me their support and guidance, to my fellow classmates who gave me the inspiration to be the best that I can be—" Hermione quickly stole a glance at Draco. "— to those of you who never knew you have touched my heart in so many ways…" She paused and took a deep breath, facing Harry and Ron who stood right below her. "And to my best friends, who have stood by my side no matter what.

"I could have never reached this point in my life if it wasn't for each and everyone of you. I did give a hundred percent in everything that I have done, studied my brains out almost everyday, but I'm so sure that if only you could have done the same thing, then maybe it would be…" Hermione's eyes scanned the Great Hall. "—_you_, giving a speech here tonight," Hermione's trembling finger pointed at the clueless Gregory Goyle. 

"Hermione," Harry whispered warningly, shaking his head.

The Head Girl squeezed her orbs shut and took another deep breath. She knew she wasn't going anywhere. She opened them once more, and found Draco Malfoy smirking softly back at her. Suddenly the hundreds of other pair of eyes were gone unnoticed.

"We have been through so much in all our years here at Hogwarts. Our lives were constantly in danger, having a troll set lose once, never knowing when a certain basilisk would strike, having an escape Azkaban convict in our school, experiencing death, going through the worst Headmistress—"

"Hear, hear!" Terry Boot shouted.

"— And most recently, being a part of two different wars. If there's one thing Hogwarts should take pride in, it's us." She stopped in mid-sentence as the Batch of 1998 yelled in agreement, pumping their fists in the air and waving their glasses of champagne. 

"We wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for each other. So let's just put the past aside and move on with our lives." She couldn't believe it. Tears were already welling up in her eyes. "Hogwarts will be forever in our hearts and minds. It's time to make the rest of the world get ready for us."

And so the crowd rose in cheers, with each member of the faculty clapping their hands together. Hermione was pulled down the stage while the rest of the teachers followed suit, except for Dumbledore who stayed in front.

"Well done Hermione!" Ron yelled in her ear, amidst the noise of their classmates. "Stop shaking! You did well!" His twin brothers had bought him a new set of robes for the Leaving Ceremony, and it's khaki shade made him look devilishly handsome. 

"I knew you could do it, Hermione!" Harry shouted before lifting her up in his arms and twirling it around. Hermione laughed whole-heartedly.

Professor Dumbledore raised his wand in the air and pointed at the enchanted ceiling, which sported the night sky outside; a perfectly black blanket studded with stars. "_By the power invested in me, I, Professor Albus Dumbledore, do hereby declare you as graduates of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_!" A sudden bright light escaped from his wand before splitting into hundreds of thick smoky strings, enveloping each student with its warmth and brightness. 

The Golden Trio looked at each other in amazement. 

"Bill and Charlie never told me anything about this!" Ron exclaimed.

"Neither did the others who came before us!" Harry replied, laughing as the bright light tickled his arms.

"Look up, my dear students," Professor Dumbledore spoke, and the rest of the student body did as they were told. 

Hermione gasped in shock. _So that's why it was enchanted_, she thought to herself.

The clouds above the Great Hall rose higher and higher, until suddenly, they did see the ceiling, which showed that there was nothing magical about it… except for the thousands upon thousands of names that were engraved in the ceilings… _Peter Goodwick, Arthur Weasley, Alisha Rottenwood, Sirius Black, Terrence Nightingale, Heather Olivander, Yolanda Oakpin, Forsythe Fudge, Yuri Natoko_.. Each name written in different handwritings, different sizes, and yet, no matter how limited the ceiling was, there was still room for more.

Harry's heart was beating rapidly in his chest. Right above one of the upper windows in the ceiling, were two names together, one written in messy cursives, one in neat print; _James Potter, Lily Evans_. Ron and Hermione saw the same thing, and squeezed each other's hands.

"Now grab your wands, and repeat after me," Dumbledore cheerfully ordered, and raised his wand high towards the ceiling, and a green light sprouted from its end. He signed his name above them, _Albus Dumbledore_. 

And the rest followed.

Some signed their names with flowers, unicorn's horns, a peace sign, anything they could think of. Harry, Ron and Hermione raised their wands in the air and wrote their names right beside Harry's parents.

"I don't get it," Ron said, after underlining his name. "Why did they have to hide this from us all these years?"

"You don't have to understand everything, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, marveling the sight of the names staring back at her. "This is just one of those secrets that makes Hogwarts as it is."

"Which is…" Harry pressed on.

Hermione froze. "I absolutely have no idea, Harry!" she laughed.

The backdrop of the stage vanished, and a band emerged from behind it, lead by Dean Thomas who was on a sleek red guitar. He strummed the few chords of the Hogwarts Anthem, before the bass joined and the drums kicked in. Everyone in the Great Hall beat their fists in the air and sang at the top of their lungs, with Hagrid being the loudest:

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot!"_

"Congratulations, Batch of 1998!" Professor Dumbledore bellowed. With one last wave of his wand, the tables changed into little round ones and were sent to the back of the hall, which made enough room for dancing. "Now, as our muggle friends say… LET'S PARTY!"

***           *           *           **

"Hey Malfoy, let's go!" 

Draco suddenly turned to Crabbe who was sitting beside him, wearing black robes clearly too small for his protruding belly. 

"Where are we going?" he drawled lazily, as if he was bored that school was finally declared over, once and for all. He completely disregarded the band that was playing only rock and mushy songs alternately.

"The Slytherins are gonna hang around the school, take pictures and stuff before we leave this shithole," Damien Baggerbath's voice filled his ears.

"How are you going to manage that?" Draco asked, subconsciously tracing the rim of his champagne glass.

Goyle took an old-fashioned camera from inside his robes, flashing a look of self-contentment. "Got it from that puny little kid from Gryffindor last week."

The tiny high-pitched melody coming from the glass stopped. "I think you mean _stole_ it from him," Draco replied, shaking his head.

"Oh, come on Malfoy! Blaise Zabini isn't your only friend!" Crabbe begged. "At least do it for old time's sake!"

Draco Malfoy stood up from his chair, hiding his surprise in hearing that name again. "Who said I wasn't going to come?" 

"Well." Crabbe replied, dumbfoundedly. "I figured you'd be staying here, you know, with your mud-, _girlfriend_," he added quickly, taking notice in the change of color of his gray orbs.

"Hey, what is going to happen to Zabini now?" Goyle asked to no one in particular.

"Who knows?" Damien shrugged. "We might see him again sometime soon."

Draco sniggered, turning his head around to look at Hermione, who seemed to be in a serious talk with her friends. Professor Lupin had joined the Golden Trio, and it looked like his angel was going to be held back from him for quite a while. Draco smirked. _His angel. How the fuck did that sound so good_?

"Coming, Malfoy?" Damien asked one more time.

He broke away from his reverie, and nodded to his friends. "Yeah, sure."

*           *           *  
  


"And t-t-this is f-for the t-t-time when I thought y-you l-l-left me…" Lavender Brown was sobbing uncontrollably in her coat. 

While the rest of the students went dancing or back to eating when the band played, she and her best friend, Parvati Patil had proceeded to go outside, to pay a little visit to the brass monument that was put up after the war between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors. They had dug as deep as their little shovels could and each placed a significant object in their life in Hogwarts in that small hole, to be buried in its earth and dug up later on, when they were both sure they had a line designer clothes set up in Diagon Alley. 

After a cosmetic kit and an expensive barrette were buried together, the two girls stood up on their feet, sniffing and hiccupping at the same time.

"I can't believe we have to leave Hogwarts," Parvati sniffled, patting the brass head of the Gryffindor Lion.

"Time flies so fast," Lavender said absent-mindedly.

"So much things we have to do—"

"So much places we have to go—"

"And we still don't know what happened to Malfoy and Hermione!" Parvati suddenly shrieked. 

"Oh my goodness, what are we doing out here?" Lavender exclaimed, grabbing her purse and pulling her best friend back inside the castle.

Alas, some people never change.

*           *           *           

"It was all my mistake, I overlooked that book, I never should have given it to you," Lupin shook his head wearily.

Dean's voice filled the Great Hall as the music continued to beat from the magical speakers, but the Golden Trio looked unaffected by it. 

"How could reading from a book be so dangerous?" Hermione asked for the nth time, holding a glass of champagne in one hand. "I've read it twice already, and there's nothing mysterious about it. It's just a map of the skies!"

"It's more than that, Hermione," Lupin's brown eyes pierced through hers. "If you've read the book from cover to cover, then you've probably read an incantation that already makes you the guardian of that book. I don't know what exactly it is, but I'll find out soon." Lupin flustered, looking like an older male Hermione who was so determined to get the correct answer. "You're right, Hermione, it is a map, and it shows the directions that lead to something with immense power. Something that other orders are searching for. Orders that will not stop at nothing until they get what they want."

"Name one," Ron declared seriously.

Lupin paused and eyed each one carefully. "Well, there's this one called the Order of the Dragon. It's been going around that they will have a future leader sooner than we think, and who knows what might happen if this certain treasure or object falls into the wrong hands…"

Hermione felt a lump on her throat. Dragon. _Draco_. She remembered Narcissa telling them that a Seer once said that her son would become powerful, another Dark Lord... Almost killing Blaise Zabini with only a Cruciatus Curse…

"Look, it doesn't make sense," Harry frowned, pushing up his glasses. "So we got this part figured out. Aris, Luna et Stella means Sun, Moon and Star. You believe that you and Sirius are connected to this because you guys came across this book once, a long time ago."

"We did hear that that book held special powers, but they were only rumors then. Nothing happened to us when we read it… This was where Sirius got the idea when he became an Animagus!"

"Siruis, named after the Dog Star, the brightest star in the whole universe," Hermione whispered, involuntarily stroking the snake on her chest. She looked at Lupin, with a new sense of enlightenment. "Moon, source of weakness and strength of a werewolf."

"So that leaves us with the Sun," Harry replied, eyeing Hermione carefully. "What's that got to do with her?"

"I don't know yet, Harry," his guardian replied truthfully. 

"Damn," Ron cursed, biting his lip. "Right then. So here's what we do. Search for this Order the Dragon, take out all the members, figure out the clues of that damned book, go on an exploration for something we don't even know yet, all the while preparing for the burdens and freedom of adulthood." Ron paused and gave a shrug. "Sound just like school, eh?"

Suddenly a loud screech came from outside the Great Hall. Everyone looked up to see what it was, and realized that it was a ghostly owl, biting a piece of a very transparent paper in its beak. It landed right above of Dumbledore's table and sat up straight, so the Headmaster could read what it said. It tried very hard to be still, although being a ghost familiar, one couldn't help floating in the air. Finally, Dumbledore was finished and nodded his head to the owl, who immediately set forth again, leaving no trace of its presence. 

"What was that?" Hermione wondered out loud. "I know it was mail, but who could it come from?"

Lupin chose not to answer that question.

Harry went back to the matter at hand. "Look, Lupin," he said. "I appreciate you telling this to us as soon as possible, but it's our last day here and, well, we just want to enjoy it while we can."

His father's friend nodded approvingly. "I know what you mean Harry," he laughed. "I remember our Leaving Ceremony, Sirius and your dad did so many practical jokes on our classmates, just because they knew that they were never gonna have that much fun again."

Harry chuckled. "Did you stop them?"

"Me? No," Lupin shook his head. "I designed some of those good-for-nothing gadgets. I wanted to see if they would work. Your mother did give us one hell of a lecture afterwards."

The song changed into something slower, nothing but the strumming of guitars and violins and a voice, singing about his everything. Hermione's mind was drifting into somewhere else, an image of a silver-blonde boy smiling down at her. As if on cue, the glass of champagne she was holding in her hand escaped her fingers. She turned around to see where it went, and found Draco on the other side of the wall, drinking an almost empty beverage, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. She caught his stare, and immediately their eyes had their conversation again.

_"May I have this dance?" His gray orbs seemed to say._

Hermione turned around to Lupin and her friends. "Um, guys, do you mind if I—" she pointed the dance floor.

Harry smiled at his best friend. "Go ahead, Hermione, I think I'll be having more of that Carbonara at the buffet table."

"I'll be leaving as well, there's still a lot of things to do," Lupin said. "Congratulations again. I'm very proud of all of you."

"Thanks," Harry and Ron said in unison. Hermione reached out and kissed Lupin in the cheek and gave him a big hug. "Thank you, Uncle Remus!"

"Don't call me that," he said seriously.

The Golden Trio laughed. 

"Just go, Hermione," Harry spoke softly. "Malfoy's waiting for you."

She smiled at them again, before turning around to face Draco Malfoy, who was already at the dance floor, dressed in nothing but black. He smirked at her as she ran his hand through his hair, revealing the steely gray orbs that sparkled under the lights. 

Hermione kept her eyes on his as she walked towards him. Time seemed so slow until finally, they were close enough for her to fling her arms around his neck, and for him to wrap his arms around her waist. How is it that they understood each other without having to say anything?

_"I love you," His gray eyes confessed._

_"I love you too," Her toffee orbs professed. _

*           *           *

"Lupin! Hang on a second!"

Remus Lupin turned around, one step away form the exit of the Great Hall. Harry was sitting alone on the table, contemplating on future events while Ron was running after Lupin, breathless when he reached him.

"What's on your mind, boy?" Lupin asked curiously, his brows furrowed.

"You left a little something back there that needed an explanation still," Ron replied, his cheeks coming back to its natural color. "How did you find out that something was going to happen when Hermione read from Aris, Luna et Stella? Who told you that something was going wrong, and that Order of the Dragon was becoming powerful?"

Lupin's eyes suddenly became sharper. "Well, I must admit I wasn't planning to tell you this originally," he said. "But with Harry's heart broken and Hermione in cloud nine, you're the sensible on among the three of you at this time."

"Is there something else we need to know, Lupin?" Ron asked, looking straight at him.

His former DADA Professor sighed deeply, before grasping Ron's arm tightly. Ron looked a little surprised, but said nothing.

"You're Harry's best friend, and if there's anyone who's in the right position to tell him this, it's you."

"What is it?" Ron raised his voice.

"Sirius told me these things," Lupin answered, slowly releasing Ron from his grip.

The redhead looked at him like he belonged at St. Mungo's. "You're out of your mind," he shook his head. His heart was suddenly beating a hundred times per second.

"I wish I were," Lupin answered, almost casually. "Not flesh and blood boy, but _he's alive_." And with that, he wore his hat to cover his hair and left a speechless Ron staring after him.

*           *           *

Draco carried her through the beat, moving side to side, gliding on the floor. It didn't matter if the rest of the students had stopped dancing, or that Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were screaming their hearts out in joy. All that mattered to Draco Malfoy right now was in his arms. 

"Stop looking at me like that, _Granger_, I know you can't resist me," Draco drawled, holding up her chin in his fingers.

"What are you talking about, _Malfoy_," Hermione mocked, raising an eyebrow. "I hate everything about you."

"Really?" Draco leaned forward, feeling the warmth of her breath on his face. "Would you bet your life on it?"

"No," she replied, taking back what she said. Hermione closed her eyes and cherished everything she could, leaning her head on his strong chest. So many things were going on in her mind. Will this be the last time she would see Draco Malfoy? Before she even knew it, tears were already falling down her cheeks. No. She didn't want it to end this way. 

Draco looked down at her and lifted her chin in his fingers. "Don't cry," he ordered, wiping away a tear. "This won't be the last time."

She gazed deep into his eyes. "How do you know, Draco?"

"Because you are going to stay at the Manor with me this summer," he replied, playing with her hair. "Then, give or take a few years, we're gonna get married, and have lots of kids."

She chuckled softly, with another tear flowing down her cheek. "Are you sure you're not a Seer, Draco?"

"How does being engaged to one of the wealthiest and sexiest man in Britain sound like?" he smirked, staring straight at her.

"Sounds just like an overly conceited prick I knew back in Hogwarts," Hermione replied, running her fingers through his hair. Until now, she was amazed at its softness.

"And what happened to this prick?" Draco answered, eyes never letting go of her.

"Well, give or take a few years," Hermione smiled, leaning forward to reach his lips. "We got married, and had lots of kids."

Draco bent down and captured her lips, pouring all his emotions on Hermione. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her deeper, making sure she knows that she was the only one for him. His fingers moved down towards the lock of the necklace, and fumbled with it before it came undone.

"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered, knowing her knees would give in at any second. 

"Look at this," Draco whispered back, and held the necklace in his hands. A new pair of name was engraved in the jewelry, and I don't need to tell you what it read.

"Keep it on," he said to her, and placed it back on her neck. "It looks perfect on you."

*           *           *

The song changed, and Draco and Hermione left the dance floor hand in hand to the rockers who began to wildly spin their head around. They went towards the table where Harry was eating his Carbonara almost greedily, and Ron, looking paler than usual.

"Did you swallow a rat or something, Weasley?" Draco joked, before Hermione pinched him.

"Are you okay, Ron?" she asked, squeezing her best friend's hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Ron replied, wiping away the sweat forming on his forehead.

"Harry, you've got to slow down or your gonna choke to death," Hermione informed him.

"Can't help it, never tasted anything this good!" Harry swallowed. "Plus, I've been thinking about what Lupin told us."

There was an awkward silence as Harry was waiting for Malfoy to leave, while Draco was waiting for Harry to say something.

"Oh for heaven's sake, you've both got to realize that from this day, Draco's gonna be part of us!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "So stop being so childish!"

"She's right, Harry," Ron suddenly said. "The past is past. We've got a lot more things to worry about."

"Quite the philosopher, aren't we, Weasley?" Draco smirked.

"Shut up, faggot," Ron snapped. "That doesn't mean we forget."

Hermione shook her head. Boys are so hopeless.

"I almost forgot," Draco said, reaching down to his trouser pockets and holding a pink key in his hand. "This is for saving my life again in my own house," he said before throwing it to Potter.

"Is this some sort of joke, Malfoy?" Harry drawled at him.

"Do me a favor and next time I'm in deep shit, just leave me for dead. I don't want to be in debt to your heroic shit." The Golden Trio looked curiously at him. Draco sighed deeply and lazily sat beside Ron, making room for Hermione to sit. Some of the girls had joined in the mosh pit while Dean Thomas still singing, something about "hating everything about someone yet loving her". Muggle music is so complicated.

"Back in the first year, I was exploring this castle when I came across Snape's room. Let's just say the Potions Master has an alter ego. Absolutely loves frills and pinks. That key unlocks Snape's deepest secrets," he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"You've been using this to blackmail Snape all along?" Ron fumed. "That's why he was so biased!"

"No wonder you were always perfect in the tests!" Harry added disgustingly.

"Au contraire," Draco replied. "Those scores were my own doing. I only waved it around for house points."

"Did you ever com back again?" Hermione asked.

"Are you daft? No way," Draco shook his head.

"Why not?" Harry pressed on.

"Potter, I've been through many things in my life, and never have seen anything scarier than Snape wearing a pink tutu and singing a muggle song called Dancing Queen."

Their table screamed noisily at this revelation. Harry looked like he was going to barf his Carbonara, Ron's face turned as red as his hair, and Draco Malfoy had his arm over Hermione's shoulder, laughing together, looking as if they were friends all their life, while the other hand clutched Hermione's, fingers entwined with each other, never letting go.

*           *           *

The scenes unfold, fading into each room of the castle. The Slytherin Dungeons, The Gryffindor Tower, Dumbledore's Office. Your ears are filled with tiny little noises from strange contraptions. Over at the side, Fawkes smiles down at you, and at the shelf behind Dumbledore's table, a wise tattered old hat gathers dust. The Sorting Hat has finished his story, and speaks for the last time.

_Hush my friends, and let them hold each other_

_Help them make the moment last forever_

_In the end, it has be Draco and Hermione_

_For I am the Sorting Hat, and what I've said has been._

_T H E     E N D._

~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*

This story could not have been as successful as I imagine it to be if it wasn't for all of you who made this happen. Thank you so much for the advices, the help, the inspiration. Now I know I left too much subplots going on, but that's for the sequel… Aris, Luna et Stella perhaps? Please tell me what you think so I would know whether to pursue that dream or not. Whatever happens, it's been such a ride for me. I'll see you again soon. 

PS. Could you guess the last song Dean Thomas was singing?

Love you all,

Ceres Vesta


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